LONDON — Nearly four years after “evolving away” from the sport, tennis legend Serena Williams has officially announced her stunning return to professional tennis. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is staging a massive comeback at the age of 44, confirming she will compete in the doubles draw at the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London next week.
The tennis world was sent into a frenzy on Monday when Williams shared a video on social media showing her dressed in all-white Nike gear on a tennis court, her phone buzzing uncontrollably in the background. She accompanied the video with the caption, “Good news travels fast,” before closing the clip with a simple smirk and the phrase, “Guess everybody heard the news.”
Williams has accepted a wildcard entry into the WTA 500 grass-court event, which kicks off on June 8, and will partner with 19-year-old Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko. The teenager, currently ranked No. 9 in singles, has openly cited Williams as her childhood idol.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in an official statement released by the tournament. “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.”
The 44-year-old icon has not played a competitive professional match since her emotional farewell at the 2022 US Open, where she famously insisted she wasn’t “retiring” but rather “evolving” to focus on her family and business ventures. However, rumors of a potential comeback began swirling late last year after Williams re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) mandatory anti-doping testing pool—a required first step for any retired player seeking a return to the tour. She officially became eligible to compete in February.
Recent sightings of Williams training on hard courts in Florida with current tour players like Alycia Parks, combined with a recent Super Bowl commercial for healthcare provider Ro—in which she noted she had lost 34 pounds and was “healthier, stronger, moving better, and feeling better”—only added fuel to the comeback fire.
The announcement has sent shockwaves of excitement through the tennis community. Current players at the ongoing French Open expressed their thrill at the prospect of sharing the grounds with the history-making champion.
“Serena Williams playing tennis is only good for tennis,” said world No. 19 Madison Keys. “Let’s be real, we all want to watch Serena. You literally get to watch history every single time she takes the court.”
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who famously played Williams in the 2018 US Open final, added: “Everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it’s going to be cool to see her on the grounds again. I’m going to be tuned into the first match, for sure.”
Queen’s Club tournament director Laura Robson expressed delight over the historic booking, noting that having an icon step onto the prestigious London grass is “very exciting for the tournament and the fans.”
While Williams is easing back into the sport via doubles—a strategy previously utilized by her 45-year-old sister Venus—her return on grass immediately raises tantalizing questions about her singles prospects and a potential wildcard entry into Wimbledon, which begins on June 29.
For now, the sports world is just happy to welcome back its Queen.
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