Serena Williams' return confirmed as tennis legend set to play at Queen's ahead of potential Wimbledon comeback
By Leon Imber
Updated 01/06/2026 at 16:20 GMT+1
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Serena Williams will make her highly-anticipated tennis comeback by playing doubles at Queen's in London later this month, tournament organisers confirmed on Monday.
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Reports surfaced in the last week that Williams would make her return to the sport aged 44, with the tennis great having completed six months in the anti-doping testing pool - a requirement for players before they are reinstated to competitive competition.
Willams will partner with Victoria Mboko, according to TNT Sports presenter and WTA tournament director Laura Robson. The 19-year-old is ranked ninth in the world in singles.
"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.”
Having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 in women's doubles and two in the mixed doubles events, Williams is among the sport's most decorated stars of all-time. She also won four Olympic gold medals during her career.
She follows in the footsteps of her sister and former doubles partner, Venus Williams, who marked her return to the tour last year, and has competed in both singles and doubles events since.
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Osaka gives her reaction to remarkable Serena Williams reports
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In conjunction with the announcement made by Queen's organisers on Monday, Williams featured in a social media post in collaboration with Nike, showing her on a court and picking up her phone, captioned: "Guess everybody heard the news".
Robson took to X as she welcomed the news of Williams' return.
"So excited to have Serena at Queen's!!!" Robson said.
Williams retired from tennis following the US Open in 2022, bringing the curtain down on a legendary career.
After reports last year suggested a comeback could be on the cards as she entered the anti-doping testing pool, she denied the rumours.
"Omg yall I’m NOT coming back," she posted on X at the time. "This wildfire is crazy."
However, in January, the American did not rule out her potential return during an interview, and she will now grace the court for the doubles event at Queen's which begins on June 8.
Robson said in a statement: "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.
"Women’s tennis made a historic return to The Queen’s Club last year, and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court at this prestigious venue - it's very exciting for the tournament and the fans.”
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Speaking to TNT Sports last week, Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou said she is "capable of doing things that are theoretically impossible", and suggested her Queen's return could be with a view to potentially competing at Wimbledon.
He said: "I think she wants to test herself in doubles first; that’s probably why she requested a wildcard in doubles, and if she’s satisfied with her level, maybe she’ll request a wildcard in singles at Wimbledon.
"That doesn’t seem like a likely scenario to me, but Serena isn’t the kind of person who would come back if she didn’t feel capable of playing and beating the best."
Williams' historic contributions to tennis saw her inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2024 and the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame last year.
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