The 23-time Grand Slam champion, 44, will compete in doubles at the HSBC Championships next week after nearly four years away from professional tennis.
11:04 AM
Serena Williams will return to competitive tennis next week at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London, nearly four years after her last professional match, the tournament confirmed Monday.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, will play doubles as a wildcard entrant. The tournament begins June 6 with women's qualifying, with the main draw starting June 8. She is set to partner with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the doubles competition.
Williams last played professionally in 2022, when she lost to Australia's Ajla Tomljanović in the third round of the US Open. At that time, she did not announce a retirement, instead saying she was "evolving away from tennis."
In a statement, Williams 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."
Whether Williams will use the Queen's tournament as preparation for Wimbledon, which she has won seven times, remains uncertain. The third Grand Slam of the year takes place later in June.
Speculation about a potential return intensified late last year when Williams' name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency's drug-testing pool registration list. She subsequently denied she was planning a comeback at that time. Her name later appeared on the ITIA reinstatements list, further fueling reports of a return.
Queen's Club announced the news on social media Monday with the message: "The Queen returns! Serena Williams is back and set for doubles at the HSBC Championships." Williams posted simultaneously with the message "Good news travels fast" alongside a video showing her on court in an all-white Nike tennis dress.
The 44-year-old American compiled a 27-year professional career before stepping away from the sport. She holds more Grand Slam singles titles than any other woman in the Open era.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is considering a doubles appearance at the WTA 500 event in London in June, nearly four years after stepping away.
British tennis player Emma Raducanu has rehired Andrew Richardson, who coached her to the 2021 U.S. Open title, on a permanent basis.
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk defeated Russia's Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 Saturday to claim her first WTA 1000 title and break into the world top 15.
The two-time Wimbledon champion will miss the grass-court swing, including Queen's, as he recovers from a right wrist injury sustained in April.
Williams sustained a moderate hamstring injury Sunday but is expected to recover in time for the tournament beginning June 11.
Moise Kouame, 17, defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic at the French Open, becoming the youngest male Grand Slam match-winner in 17 years.
