Serena Williams is officially coming back to tennis, and the news has already shocked the sports world. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will return to competitive action at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London next week. The 44-year-old has accepted a wildcard entry in the doubles event and will play alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. It will be Serena’s first official match since the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round.The announcement has quickly become one of the biggest stories in sports right now because many fans believed Serena Williams had quietly ended her career almost four years ago. But even during her emotional US Open farewell in 2022, Serena never directly used the word “retirement.” Instead, she said she was “evolving away” from tennis. Reports about a possible comeback became stronger earlier this year after she re-entered the anti-doping testing program, which players must join before returning to the tour.
Serena Williams says Queen’s Club is the perfect place to begin her new chapter
Queen’s Club confirmed the news on Monday with a social media post that read, “The Queen returns! Serena Williams is back and set for doubles at the HSBC Championships.”Soon after, Serena Williams shared a short video online showing herself practicing on court in a white Nike tennis outfit while her phone filled with notifications. The video included the caption, “Guess everybody heard the news.”In the official tournament press release, Serena 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.”Victoria Mboko, who grew up admiring Serena, also spoke about the return during 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. The fact that she even knows me, it’s very exciting.”Several current stars also reacted to the news. Naomi Osaka said, “I think it will bring people to watch tennis, which she always does bring an audience with her.” Meanwhile, Coco Gauff admitted she hopes to finally face Serena one day, saying, “I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her.”The tournament takes place just before Wimbledon, which has now increased speculation that Serena Williams could also appear at the famous Grand Slam later this summer.
