In news that feels both shocking and somehow inevitable, Serena Williams has confirmed she’s returning to professional tennis, nearly four years after stepping away from the sport she basically reshaped in her image.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has accepted a wildcard entry into the doubles draw at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, kicking off June 8. It’ll mark her first competitive appearance since the 2022 US Open, where she famously said she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than retiring outright.
Turns out, that evolution had a sequel.
Williams, now 44 and a mum of two, confirmed the comeback in a typically understated way: a social video showing her walking off court while her phone buzzes non-stop. “Guess everybody heard the news,” she says.
“Good news travels fast.”
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And clearly, it does. Speculation has been bubbling for months, especially after she rejoined the sport’s anti-doping testing pool last year, which is a non-negotiable step if you’re even thinking about competing again. Former pro Jim Courier said in January there was “no doubt” she was gearing up for a return, and here we are.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement released by tournament organisers.
“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.”
Reports suggest she’ll partner with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in doubles, who is the current Canadian No. 1 in women's singles and world No. 9 in the WTA singles ranking.
Mboko kept things quiet when she was asked about Williams last week at the French Open. “I’m very happy. Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice, because I really look up to her," she said, per The Guardian.
"I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very exciting. I think for me I want to let the moment be for her. I feel like if she’s ready to come back on her own terms, then I feel like it’s up to her to announce that.”
The tennis world, unsurprisingly, is losing it. WTA chair Valerie Camillo didn’t hold back, saying: “Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court... I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players.”
There’s also the looming question of Wimbledon. Williams has won seven titles there, and with the grass-court Grand Slam starting June 29, her Queen’s appearance feels like more than a one-off.
For context, Williams hasn’t played since that third-round loss at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and she’s spent the interim building businesses, raising her family and, more recently, documenting her return to fitness on social media.
Still, if history has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t count Serena Williams out. Even now.
