Serena Williams has confirmed she will return to competitive tennis at the age of 44, nearly four years after her last match. The 23-time grand slam champion has accepted a doubles wildcard for the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London, starting on 8 June, ahead of a potential Wimbledon return later this month.
Williams will play doubles at Queen's with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who idolised Williams growing up. The American has not played since the 2022 US Open, where she reached the third round in what was widely seen as a farewell. She has always avoided using the word 'retirement', instead saying she was 'evolving away from tennis'.
Queen's Club announced the news on Monday with the message: 'The Queen returns! Serena Williams is back and set for doubles at the HSBC Championships.' Williams posted a video on social media of herself on court in an all-white Nike tennis dress, with her phone buzzing rapidly, captioned 'Good news travels fast'. In a press release, she said: 'Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career.'
Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and six-time doubles champion with her sister Venus, has been preparing for a comeback for months. She re-entered the anti-doping testing pool last August and was cleared to compete from 22 February. Videos of her practising emerged, and American player Alycia Parks said in February: 'She is in great shape, so I think she would kill it on tour.'
Laura Robson, WTA tournament director at Queen's, said: 'Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we're delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA's HSBC Championships.' Williams's last Wimbledon appearance ended in a first-round defeat to Harmony Tan in 2022.
At 44, Williams would be the oldest player to compete in singles at Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 2004. The women's game has evolved significantly since her last match, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina now dominating. However, Williams's star power remains unmatched, and her return is expected to be the biggest draw at Wimbledon.
