Calls the event ‘perfect place’ for her return to court
Williams will play doubles with Victoria Mboko
Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time, has announced her return to professional tennis next week at Queen’s Club.
The 44-year-old will return to competition with a wildcard into the doubles draw in the WTA 500 event in west London. She has not competed since the US Open in 2022, where she described her departure from the sport as “evolving away” from tennis rather than retirement. However, Williams remained on the retired players’ list until last year.
After months of speculation about her return, Williams announced her comeback in a Nike video bearing a simple tagline: “Guess everybody heard the news.” In a separate statement, she said: “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. 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.”
A potential comeback for Williams became a topical subject after her return to the drug-testing pool last December, which led many to conclude that she had intentions of competing again in some capacity, considering the intrusive and inconvenient nature of the anti-doping regulations. There have since been numerous reports of the American training for a comeback in Florida, with the women’s world No 79, Alycia Parks, posting a video of herself training with Williams in March.
Although Williams will start slowly in doubles, she will have the option of ramping up to singles in the following events. However, should she wish to compete in singles at Wimbledon, where she is a seven-time champion, Williams will have minimal time to prepare due to the short length of the grass-court season. The championships begin on Monday 29 June, three weeks from the first day of Queen’s.
Williams will be competing in doubles alongside Victoria Mboko, the Canadian player ranked No 9 in singles, at Queen’s Club in West Kensington. Mboko was asked about Williams at the French Open last week. She said: “I’m very happy. Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice, because I really look up to her. 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.”
Williams is one of the greatest players of all time. Her 23 grand slam singles titles is a women’s open era record and she is also a 14-time doubles champion alongside her sister, Venus, who is also still active on the tour despite the fact that she turns 46 this month. Serena Williams is the only player to win the career golden slam – the four grand slams and an Olympic gold medal – in both singles and doubles.
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