The global tennis community is buzzing with excitement after organisers at London’s Queen’s Club confirmed that 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams will step back onto a professional court for the first time in nearly four years this Tuesday. Williams, who last competed at the 2022 US Open where she signaled she was “evolving away from tennis”, has accepted a wildcard entry into the women’s doubles draw of the pre-Wimbledon warm-up grass-court tournament.
The 44-year-old American tennis icon will pair with 19-year-old Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko to face third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in their opening match. The unexpected comeback has sent shockwaves through the global sporting landscape, capturing the attention of fans and pundits alike who have followed Williams’ legendary career for decades.
In her first public comments since announcing her return, Williams revealed the core motivation behind stepping back into competitive tennis: she wants her two young daughters with husband and tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian to see her compete before she retires from the sport for good. “It’s really about the kids seeing me play,” Williams told reporters at Queen’s on Sunday. “Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. It’s components like that.”
Following her appearance at Queen’s Club, Williams is already scheduled to compete in doubles at the Berlin Open, which runs from June 15 to 21. When pressed about speculation that she could extend her comeback to singles competition – particularly at Wimbledon, where she has claimed seven career singles titles – Williams struck a careful balance, neither confirming nor ruling out a potential singles appearance.
“For singles, I can’t say ‘yeah’ and I can’t say ‘no’,” Williams explained. “Right now, no. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles. We will see if I get there and if not, it is not my journey right now.”
Williams’ return comes as one of the most unexpected developments in men’s or women’s professional tennis in recent years, with the all-time great already cemented as one of the most influential athletes in the history of the sport. Fans around the world are already waiting anxiously to see her back in action this week, with speculation continuing to build around what comes next for the tennis legend.