Serena Williams has drawn a line under months of speculation after announcing that she will return to professional tennis on the grass courts of Queen’s Club later this month.
The 44-year-old, who returned to the drug-testing pool last October and has spent the eight months since playing down talk of a potential comeback, has been granted a wildcard to play doubles alongside Victoria Mboko, the Canadian world No 9.
It will be Williams’ first appearance since she bade farewell to the sport at the 2022 US Open. At the time, the 23-time grand slam champion stopped short of saying she was retiring, suggesting instead that she was “evolving away” from tennis.
The possibility of a return drew closer in February, when Williams’ name was restored to the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of active players.
But it was only when the former world No 1 posted a video of herself striding on to a tennis court that her plans became clear. “Guess everybody heard the news,” read the strapline.
Serena Williams: ‘Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin’
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “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.”
It remains to be seen whether the American’s appearance at Queen’s will be the prelude to a reappearance at Wimbledon, where she has lifted the Venus Rosewater dish on seven occasions. It is equally unclear whether she plans to return to the singles court.
What we do know is that Williams has trodden a similar path before. In 2022, she ended a year-long injury hiatus by partnering Ons Jabeur at Eastbourne and went on to play singles at Wimbledon, where she was beaten in the opening round by Harmony Tan of France.
Whatever her ultimate goal, the tennis world is certain to welcome Williams back into the fold. As one of the greatest players in the history of the game, there will be a place for her in the draw of any tournament she should wish to contest.
“Serena brought the game to another level and it is incredible for the sport that she’s pushing the boundaries and coming back,” said Martina Navratilova, whose record as the oldest former world No 1 to return to the tour, achieved two months shy of her 44th birthday, will now be eclipsed.
“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.”