Serena Williams says she has ‘nothing to prove’ on comeback – so why is the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returning?

Serena Williams says she has “nothing to prove” about returning to competitive tennis after a nearly four-year absence, adding her main motivation is the prospect of her daughters watching her play again.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will line up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the doubles event starting Monday in Queens.

The American says he is not putting any pressure on himself as he returns to the sport he dominated for so many years.

“I’ve had enough pressure. It’s really about my kids getting to see me play,” Williams, 44, said.

“It’s also that being an athlete is the best thing you can do at the highest level.

“It’s kind of cool and exciting to still have the opportunity to be able to do it for probably the last time.”

Williams gave birth to Olympia, now eight years old, in 2017 and returned to tennis a few months later. She reached four major singles finals after the birth of her eldest daughter.

Her second daughter, Adira, was born in 2023 and did not see her mother play on tour.

Asked how important it was to him to show he could still win, Williams replied: “I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people in their entire lives.

“It (winning) is not important to me and it’s important that I remind myself of that.

“I have nothing to prove, nothing to lose and everything here is only to gain.”

Williams has signed up to play doubles in Berlin next week and has not ruled out a return to singles in the future – but said it was not in her immediate plans.

“I think if I want to play singles I’ll probably have to train a bit more and we’ll see if I can get there,” he added.

“If not, it is not my journey now.”