Serena Williams announced a tennis return four years after her last match, and her move sets up a wildcard appearance at a major tournament

Serena Williams is officially making a comeback to professional tennis at the age of 44, marking a massive return to the sport nearly four years after her last competitive match. According to Daily Mail, the 23-time grand slam champion is set to compete in the doubles draw at the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London next week.

This tournament is a major precursor to Wimbledon, which begins on Monday June 29, and it creates a genuine possibility that we will see the icon back at that legendary grand slam event. Queen’s Club confirmed the news stating, “The Queen returns! Serena Williams is back and set for doubles at the HSBC Championships.” She has been granted a wildcard for the event and will be teaming up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.

Williams shared the news herself through a video posted online, which showed her on the court wearing a white Nike tennis dress. The clip featured her phone buzzing with notifications, and she added the caption, “Guess everybody heard the news,” to address the buzz. In a formal press release, she shared her enthusiasm for the upcoming matches.

Tennis is about to get so much more interesting

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.” This return follows a period of speculation that began back in December when it was revealed she had re-entered the tennis anti-doping programme.

That step is a mandatory prerequisite for anyone looking to compete on the tour again. Even though she has been eligible to play since February, she waited until the British grass-court season to make her move. It is interesting to look back at how she handled her exit from the sport in 2022. After her third-round loss at the US Open, she avoided the word retirement and instead described her transition as “evolving away” from the game.

When rumors first surfaced about her return to the testing pool last year, she denied the speculation on social media by writing, “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.” The tennis world is already buzzing about her return. Naomi Osaka expressed her excitement during the French Open, noting that she will definitely be tuned in to watch.

She said, “I don’t really care about tennis. I think it’s good for me. I’ll be very entertained. I think it will bring people to watch tennis, which she always does bring an audience with her. So I think it’s good. I’m going to be tuned into the first match, for sure. I think a lot of people are. Everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it’s going to be cool to see her on the grounds again.”

Coco Gauff also chimed in on the potential impact of having such a legend back on the court. She said, “I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her. Everybody has been hearing rumours and stuff. So, if they are true, I guess we’ll find out in a couple days based off the rumours. We’ll see, but I think it would be cool for this sport to have a legend back playing.”