Serena Williams shocked the tennis world when she announced her return to competitive play for the first time in four years.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion and mother of two announced on Monday that she will compete in the women’s doubles at this month’s Queen’s Club Championships in England, with media reporting that she will play against 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
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The 44-year-old American great qualified as a wild card for the tournament, which is seen as a prelude to Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year.
“I’m very happy. Me and Serena have been in contact. I’m really, really happy because I really respect her,” Mboko said at last week’s French Open.
Williams put an end to months of speculation surrounding a rumored comeback with a cheeky social media video that read, “Good news travels fast.”
“It will bring people to watch tennis.”
Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said she believed Williams could qualify for her home Grand Slam, the US Open, in the coming months.
“She’s probably working towards the U.S. Open. Fans will be looking forward to seeing her back on single court at the U.S. Open,” Davenport said.
Williams won seven Wimbledon titles and six US Open titles before stepping away from competition in 2022. In doubles, she won six Wimbledon titles and two US Open titles, all with her sister Venus Williams.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who won her first major title by defeating Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, was excited about the prospect.
“This will get people to watch tennis,” Osaka said. “Certainly, I’m going to focus on the first fight, and I think a lot of people are too. We all know that Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it’s great to see her on the ground again.”
Osaka was joined by several current players to share their excitement over the news of Serena Williams’ return.
“She’s a legend. It’s emotional to watch,” said top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the ongoing French Open. “I’m looking forward to watching her play and maybe playing against her. … It’s very good news for tennis.”
Coco Gauff, who admired Serena Williams’ growth, agreed.
“One of my biggest regrets is not being able to play against her,” the world No. 4 said.
Gauff also commented on Williams’ Instagram post, calling it “a dream come true.”
Will singles be back on the card?
Fellow American and former champion John McEnroe has suggested that Williams could play in the singles at Wimbledon, which begins on June 28.
“She’s not getting any younger, but she’s Serena Williams, so she’ll definitely say she wants to win,” McEnroe said in Paris.
The Queen’s Club tournament begins on Monday, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announcing that Williams will play “with a partner to be announced in due course.”
“We feel the Queen’s Club is the perfect place to begin our next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “Glass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m thrilled to be competing again on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Davenport said some current female players recently traveled to Florida to practice with Williams.
“I don’t think anyone has admitted it, but I know some have,” Davenport said. “So I think she has some idea of what level she’s at. But you don’t know if she’s playing a two-hour singles match, right? We’ll have to see how she can handle it physically.”
Williams, who has won a total of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles during her illustrious career, became eligible in February after re-enrolling in a mandatory anti-doping program six months ago, the first step in her return.
Davenport admitted his former opponent will face a tough challenge.
“It’s not easy. If anyone can do it, it could definitely be her.”
The Grand Slam’s social media accounts used more playful language to celebrate her return, using a goat emoji to symbolize her status as the “greatest of all time.”
Williams joins list of returning champions
Williams isn’t the only top-level athlete with unfinished business, as advances in training and medicine have made longer careers possible in some sports.
Seven-time track and field gold medalist Allyson Felix said she will try to represent the United States in her sixth Olympics this year. She is aiming to qualify for the mixed 4x400m relay team at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, even though she previously said the Tokyo Games would be her last.
“This is just testing the limits and kind of experimenting with what’s still out there,” Felix, 40, who gave birth to her second child in 2024, told NBC Television Network’s Today show last month.
Fellow American Lindsey Vonn became the oldest downhill skier to win a World Cup race in December after recovering from knee replacement surgery.
Vonn, whose Milan-Cortina Olympic campaign came to an abrupt end in a tragic accident, was one of the first top-level athletes to send encouragement to Williams on social media.
Both Vonn and Felix celebrated Williams’ return announcement on social media.
In tennis, Williams’ longtime friend Caroline Wozniacki reached the fourth round of the 2023 and 2024 US Open during her own comeback campaign, while her older sister Venus became the oldest WTA single match winner since 2004 when she returned from a 16-month absence last year.
WTA president Valerie Camilo said in a statement Monday that Serena Williams’ “return is an expression of her passion for the sport.” “I can’t wait to see her face the new generation.”
