Serena Williams will formally return to skilled tennis almost 4 years after her final match.
Williams, 44, introduced on Monday that she has accepted a wild card invitation to compete in doubles on the HSBC Championships, a 500-level occasion, to be held at London’s Queen’s Membership subsequent week.
“I really feel just like the Queen’s Membership is the right place to start out my subsequent chapter,” Williams stated in asserting the event. “Glass has given me a number of the most significant moments of my profession, and I am thrilled to be competing once more on one of many sport’s most iconic phases.”
Along with her 23 main titles, essentially the most by a girl within the British Open period, Williams has received 73 singles titles, 4 Olympic gold medals and spent 319 weeks at No. 1 within the WTA rankings. She has received 14 main doubles titles together with her sister Venus, and is the one participant to document a profession Golden Slam in each singles and doubles.
The WTA confirmed Williams’ return in a submit, noting that Williams was “formally returning to the stage.”
“Serena is likely one of the biggest athletes of all time whose accomplishments transcended the court docket,” WTA President Valerie Camilo stated in a press release. “Her return is a testomony to her ardour for the game and we are able to’t wait to see her compete in opposition to a brand new era of prime gamers.
“Serena is greater than only a nice champion. She is a profitable entrepreneur, a powerful advocate for vital points, and one of the crucial iconic ladies on the earth. We’re thrilled to welcome her again to the WTA Tour at this extremely thrilling second for ladies’s tennis.”
The GOAT is BACK 🐐 @serenawilliams is formally again on stage 💚 pic.twitter.com/DA3CHDVrwu
— wta (@WTA) June 1, 2026
Williams has earned greater than $94 million in prize cash throughout her profession and is taken into account the highest-paid feminine athlete of all time.
She first teased her return on Monday morning in a social media video from longtime sponsor Nike. Within the 17-second clip, Williams will be seen strolling as much as a cellular phone buzzing on a tennis court docket, earlier than the textual content seems: “I believe you all heard the information.”
Minutes later, HSBC Championship introduced Williams’ return on social media with a submit that learn, “The Queen is again.”
A return to grass will generate hypothesis about Wimbledon, which begins on June 28, however Williams has not but introduced which different tournaments she’s going to compete in. Williams’ agent, Jill Smoller, has not but responded to ESPN’s request for remark.
In August 2022, Williams introduced in an essay for Vogue journal that she would play her ultimate event on the US Open the next month, citing her need to develop her household. In her essay, she selected to explain the world as “evolving” slightly than “retiring,” expressing her combined emotions on the topic.
“One factor I will not do is sugarcoat this,” Williams wrote on the time. “I do know lots of people are excited and searching ahead to retirement, and I want I may have felt that manner, too.”
Williams had fueled hypothesis that she would return within the fall after re-entering the Worldwide Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) drug testing pool required to compete once more. She denied the rumors in December, writing to X, “Oh no, I am not coming again.”
However footage of her coaching with present world No. 79 Alicia Parks, shared on social media in early March, did little to cease the chatter. Parks later revealed that they skilled collectively as much as “thrice per week” whereas she was at residence in Florida.
“She’s doing nice,” Parks instructed Tennis Majors in February. “So I believe she’ll get it accomplished on tour.”
Final week, experiences emerged that Williams had utilized for a wildcard on the HSBC Championship to play doubles with world No. 9 Victoria Mboko, however her companion on the Queen’s Membership has but to be formally introduced.
“Serena took the sport to a different degree. It is unimaginable for this sport to have her pushing the boundaries and coming again,” stated Martina Navratilova, at 43 years and 10 months, the oldest former world No. 1 to come back again after retiring.
“For most of the younger gamers, they have not had the prospect to play in opposition to her. A few of them could have by no means seen her on TV, so this shall be a brand new and thrilling expertise,” Navratilova stated.
A number of WTA gamers have expressed pleasure about Williams’ potential return.
“That will be actually cool,” Coco Gauff stated. “I stated one among my greatest regrets was not attending to play together with her. … I perceive that, however I believe it is nice for the game to have a legend again enjoying.”
Naomi Osaka, who famously defeated Williams within the 2018 US Open ultimate, stated: “I am undoubtedly going to be actually excited simply to see the venue and simply to play a match once more. I believe it should be actually nice for tennis and I’ll be excited to see her costume as nicely, and naturally the best way she performs. In fact I believe she’s probably the greatest gamers on the earth.”
fellow American athlete Madison Keys added. “Serena Williams enjoying tennis can solely be good for tennis. Let’s be actual. All of us wish to see Serena play tennis. I imply, each time she steps on the court docket, we actually see historical past. So why not watch extra?”
Williams gave delivery to her second little one, daughter Adira, together with her husband Alexis Ohanian in August 2023. Williams was secretly pregnant together with her first little one, a daughter named Olympia, when she received the 2017 Australian Open title.
She returned to the game after a troublesome delivery and maternity depart, aiming to equal Margaret Court docket’s all-time document of 24 main titles. She reached 4 finals, however fell wanting her purpose. Since then, Novak Djokovic has matched the court docket document. When he too was requested about it within the spring, he responded, “It is nice to have her again.”
Venus Williams, 45, returned to the game final July after a 16-month hiatus. After Venus was eradicated within the first spherical of the US Open, Serena praised her on social media, writing on the finish of her submit, “P.S. I wish to be such as you too.”
Venus was requested a number of occasions throughout her event look about Serena’s potential return, and she or he admitted that she didn’t need Serena to retire.
“I imply, I at all times inform my crew, ‘It makes issues higher simply to have her right here.’ In fact I miss her, like we at all times did the whole lot collectively,” Venus stated on the Citi Open in July. “But when she comes again, I am positive she’ll let everybody know.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
