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Serena Williams will make a sensational return to professional tennis at the age of 44 at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club next week.
Williams has not played professional tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open, although she characterized her departure from the game as “evolving” rather than retirement.
The 44-year-old recently quashed rumors of a December return, but has been confirmed as a wild-card entry for the women’s doubles at Queen’s and is expected to partner Canadian star Victoria Mboko.
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With Serena Williams announcing her return to tennis, we look back at her final match before retirement – a hard-fought loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.
“The Queen’s Club seems like the perfect place to start this next chapter,” Williams said.
“Grass has given me the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to compete on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Tournament director Laura Robson added: “Serena Williams is one of the world’s greatest athletes, and we are delighted that she will return to tennis at the HSBC Championships in LTA.”
Wimbledon starts on June 29 where Williams could be given a wild-card, although it is unclear whether she wants to play doubles only or return to singles.
His return seemed almost inevitable after he registered with the sport’s drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in December.
Athletes who decide to return for testing must provide information about their time and location when they are available for sampling.
They must complete probation for six months before being allowed to return to competition.
Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July at the age of 45 after nearly two years away from the tour and hasn’t announced her retirement.
At the 2025 US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play in singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
Seven-time major singles champion Venus has previously expressed interest in Serena joining the tour. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.
Williams won seven Wimbledon titles in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016.
Williams, who played her first professional tennis match in 1995, admitted that her desire to have a second child was the main motivation behind calling it quits three years ago.
She gave birth to her second daughter in August 2023, having welcomed her first child with husband Alexis Ohanian nearly six years ago.
Williams was in the early stages of pregnancy with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open and fell just one Grand Slam singles title shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record.
After returning from maternity leave she reached four more finals, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was defeated in straight sets on each occasion.
Williams, who gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017, lifted the trophy at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland.
Williams, who won her first major title at the age of 17 at the 1999 US Open, said enjoying In 2022 when he revealed his plans to step away from tennis: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want the (court) record.
“The way I see it, I should have had a Grand Slam over 30. I had a chance after I came back after giving birth.
“Should have, Chyla, Cana. I haven’t shown up the way I should have or should have. But I’ve shown up 23 times, and that’s okay. Actually, that’s awesome.”
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Billie Jean King, Jackie Joyner-Kersey, Andy Murray and Todd Martin discuss Serena Williams’ legacy both on and off the court
Why is Williams coming back?
We won’t know for sure until Williams addresses the media but it seems her love for tennis hasn’t gone away and Americans believe she can be competitive.
Williams had already made a comeback in 2018 just six months after giving birth to her first daughter but could not add to her 2023 major singles title, losing all four Grand Slam finals.
Nevertheless, he was still a top 10 player in 2021 before a foot injury led to his evolution from tennis, using his words, after the 2022 US Open.
Williams is not the first player to return to her 40s – Martina Navratilova did it in 2000 at age 43 and mainly competed in doubles.
Martina Navratilova has won 18 Grand Slam titles in singles, 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles (AP Photo/Roy Letky, File)
Notably, Navratilova won three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles in her 40s and is considered one of the greatest women’s players of all time. Perhaps Williams thinks he can follow in his footsteps?
said seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe TNT Sports: “I’m kind of shocked to do it at her age after having two kids and what she’s accomplished.
“Serena Williams is the GOAT and she hopes she plays and wins every match, even after having her baby she was upset she couldn’t win a major.
“If she comes back, she won’t come back because she’s happy to play and it’s fun. She wants to win another major, that’s the only reason I can think of that Serena Williams would want to play tennis again, not just go out and play. She could have done that at any time.”
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