01/06/2026
Tennis legend Serena Williams is set to make her long-awaited return to competitive tennis in the doubles event at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London next week.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has not played a professional match since the 2022 US Open, where she was defeated by Ajla Tomljanović. Although Williams stepped away from the sport at the time, she never officially announced her retirement, saying she was “evolving away from tennis.”
Now 44, Williams will compete in the doubles draw after receiving a wild card entry. Her partner has not yet been announced.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said, highlighting her strong connection to grass-court tennis, a surface on which she enjoyed many of the most memorable moments of her career.
Speculation about a comeback intensified late last year when Williams appeared in the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s testing pool, a requirement for players planning a return to competition. Despite initially downplaying the rumors, Williams recently posted a cryptic video on social media hinting at her comeback.
The HSBC Championships begin on June 6 and serve as a key warm-up event ahead of Wimbledon, where Williams has won seven singles titles. It remains unclear whether she will also compete at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Tournament organizers and tennis fans have welcomed the news, with many excited to see one of the sport’s greatest-ever players back on court.
🎾
