One of the most decorated athletes in tennis history, Serena Williams, has sent shockwaves through the global tennis community with a long-awaited announcement: she is stepping back into competitive tennis nearly three years after her last professional outing, making her return at the Queen’s Club HSBC Championships later this month in women’s doubles competition. The 44-year-old American icon, who holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles – just one shy of the all-time record held jointly by Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic – has not competed at the top level since her third-round exit at the 2022 US Open, when she signaled she was “evolving away” from the sport rather than formally retiring.
Williams first teased the news to her millions of fans on social media, posting a clip of herself training on a court with the playful caption “Guess everybody heard the news,” as her phone buzzed nonstop with incoming messages in the background. The 7-time Wimbledon champion followed up with a confirming post, quipping that “Good news travels fast.” In an official statement released through tournament organizers, Williams called Queen’s Club the ideal venue to open this new chapter of her career. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages,” she said. The women’s draw of the historic London tournament gets underway on June 8, with Williams granted a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, where she is widely reported to partner 17-year-old rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko.
Speculation around a potential Williams comeback has been building for months. The first clue emerged back in December, when public records revealed Williams had rejoined the global tennis anti-doping program – a mandatory requirement for any player seeking to return to elite tour competition. Williams initially denied plans for a competitive return, but persistent rumors kept the story alive throughout the first half of 2024. Even men’s tennis great Novak Djokovic tipped off the public about a possible comeback back in March, and the announcement has dominated conversations among players competing at this year’s ongoing French Open in Paris.
Current and emerging stars of the sport have overwhelmingly welcomed the news of Williams’ return. Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who defeated Williams in the controversial 2018 US Open final to claim her first Grand Slam title, said she is already looking forward to watching the comeback run. “I think it’s good for me. I’ll be very entertained,” Osaka told reporters. American rising star Coco Gauff, who bowed out of the French Open in the third round on Saturday, added that she would jump at the chance to face Williams for the first time in her career, calling the legend an inspiration to a generation of young players.
WTA Tournament Director and former British tennis pro Laura Robson expressed overwhelming excitement about the landmark comeback, saying “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.” Robson noted that women’s tennis only returned to Queen’s Club last year after a long absence, making Williams’ participation a historic milestone for the event: “Women’s tennis made a historic return to the Queen’s Club last year and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court.”
Over the course of her legendary career, Williams spent a combined 319 weeks atop the WTA singles world rankings and claimed 73 tour-level singles titles. She also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her older sister and long-time doubles partner Venus Williams, who returned to competitive tennis last year after a 16-month break. When Venus announced her own comeback 12 months ago, she said the only thing that could make her return better would be Serena joining her back on tour. That wish is now set to come true at Queen’s Club later this month.