Serena Williams confirms return to tennis at Queen's Club
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Serena Williams has confirmed her return to competitive tennis after nearly four years away from the sport and is set to compete in the women's doubles event at the HSBC Championships later this month.
The 44-year-old American, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, has not played a professional match since her third-round defeat at the 2022 US Open.
Williams announced her comeback on Monday through a social media post that read, "Good news travels fast," accompanied by a video of her on court dressed in white tennis attire.
Speculation about a return had grown since December when it emerged that Williams had re-entered the anti-doping programme, a requirement for players seeking to compete on the professional tour. At the time, she dismissed suggestions of a comeback, posting on social media that she was not returning to competitive tennis.
Williams has now accepted a wild card entry for the women's doubles competition at Queen's Club in London and is reportedly expected to partner young Canadian player Victoria Mboko.
"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," Williams said. The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion added that some of the most meaningful moments of her career came on grass courts and that she was excited to return to competition.
The women's tournament at Queen's begins on June 8.
Tournament director Laura Robson welcomed the announcement, describing Williams as one of the greatest athletes in the world and saying her return would be a significant moment for the event.
Williams announced in 2022 that she was "evolving" away from tennis rather than retiring. Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles remain the most by a woman in the Open Era and place her second on the all-time women's list behind Margaret Court, who won 24 major singles titles.