Serena Williams confirms return at Queen's Club

LONDON: Serena Williams has confirmed that she will return to competitive tennis next week after an absence of nearly four years, with the American great set to play women’s doubles at Queen’s Club.

The 44-year-old has not competed since the 2022 US Open and has received a wild card for the London grass-court event, which begins on June 8. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is expected to partner teenage Canadian Victoria Mboko.

Williams announced the development on social media, posting a video of herself on court as her phone repeatedly buzzed in the background. The video carried the caption: Guess everybody heard the news, while another post alongside it said: Good news travels fast.

Organisers described her comeback as one of the biggest sporting moments of the year so far. In a statement released by organisers, Williams said Queen’s Club was the right venue for her return.

"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.

Speculation had grown in recent months

A possible comeback had circulated for months. The speculation intensified in December when it emerged that Williams had re-entered the anti-doping programme, a requirement for players seeking to compete on the tour again. Although she had denied planning a competitive return, discussion around the possibility continued.

In March, Novak Djokovic had predicted that Williams would come back, and the subject has also been raised by players at the ongoing French Open. Coco Gauff, who was beaten in the third round at Roland Garros on Saturday, said she would like the chance to face Williams for the first time.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka welcomed the development in Paris.

"It's inspiring to see"

I'm actually excited to see her play and probably face her, so it's very cool.

Former world number one Martina Navratilova, who herself returned to the sport at 43, also praised Williams’ decision.

"Serena brought the game to another level and it is incredible for the sport that she's pushing the boundaries and coming back"

To many of the younger players, they never had the opportunity to play her. Some may have never watched her on television so this will be a new and exciting experience.

Focus turns to Wimbledon

Williams won her most recent singles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2017. Over the course of her career, she spent 319 weeks as world number one, claimed 73 WTA singles titles and won 14 major Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus Williams, who returned from a 16-month break last year.

When Williams stepped away from tennis in 2022, she avoided describing it as retirement and instead said she was evolving away from the game. Since then, she has largely remained distant from the sport, gave birth to her second daughter in 2023, and concentrated on business ventures through Serena Ventures while also holding stakes in several sports teams. She has earned nearly $95 million in prize money and is believed to be the highest-paid woman athlete of all time.

Her defeat in the third round of the 2022 US Open left her one title short of the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles crowns, a mark jointly held by Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic. With Wimbledon due to start at the end of June, it remains unclear whether Williams would take part there in singles or doubles. Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe said he was semi-shocked by her decision, but added that the logical next step would be a place in the singles draw.

"She's not coming back as 'I'm happy to play and it's fun' -- she wants to go win another major"