Serena Williams set to return to professional tennis at 44
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Serena Williams set to return to professional tennis at 44")
USA's Serena Williams Photograph: (AFP)
Serena Williams has not competed in professional tennis since her third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.
Tennis legend Serena Williams is set to return to professional competition at the age of 44 at next week's HSBC Championships at Queen's Club. The tournament will mark her first appearance in the professional tennis since the 2022 US Open, where she suffered a third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic. Rather than calling it a retirement, she famously described her departure from the sport as an “evolution away” from tennis, according to Sky Sports.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has received a wild-card entry into the women’s doubles competition at Queen’s Club and is expected to partner with promising Canadian Victoria Mboko.
Her return has sparked discussions about a potential appearance at Wimbledon later this month, where she could also be awarded a wild-card entry, however, it remains uncertain whether Williams intends to focus solely on doubles or pursue a return to singles competition as well.
Speaking about her comeback, Williams said Queen’s Club was the ideal venue to begin this new phase of her career. She also reflected on her special connection with grass courts, noting that some of her most memorable achievements came on the surface and expressing excitement about competing once again at one of tennis’ most prestigious venues.
"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," said Williams, according to Sky Sports
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"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," the 23-time Gram Slam winner added.
Tournament director Laura Robson added, "Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we're delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA's HSBC Championships."
Wimbledon is set to begin on Jun 29 and Williams could be offered a wild-card place, but whether she plans to compete exclusively in doubles or attempt a singles comeback remains unknown.
Williams last won a Grand Slam singles title at the 2017 Australian Open while she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Since then, she reached four more Grand Slam finals but fell short of equalling Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles.
She reached four more finals on her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was beaten in straight sets on each occasion.
Williams, who won her first major title in 1999 at the US Open as a 17-year-old, spoke with Vogue in 2022 when she revealed plans to walk away from tennis. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want court's record.
"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn't show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that's fine. Actually, it's extraordinary."
With inputs from agencies
