Serena Williams is not ruling out a return to singles competition which she dominated for two decades. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is making a return to competitive tennis since the 2022 US Open, by playing in the doubles event at Queen’s Club.
“I can’t say no right now, I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there, and if not… that’s not my journey right now,” Williams said in a press conference on Sunday.
Williams is set to make her return to competitive tennis at the Queen’s Club tournament, where she will partner 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in doubles. The pair, separated by 25 years in age, will face third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in their opening match on Tuesday.
Williams, now 44, has not played a professional match since her emotional farewell at the 2022 US Open. Back then, she avoided calling it retirement and instead said she was “evolving” away from tennis.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who has two daughters with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, admitted that even a few months ago she had no plans to return.
Williams said she “definitely was not” thinking about a comeback in December, but after some discussions, she felt differently.
“Well, why not? For lack of a better explanation.
“It’s summer, the kids aren’t in school, so it’s a perfect time to get out there, have fun, and see what happens.”
Williams enjoyed tremendous success during her career, winning seven Wimbledon singles titles and six US Open crowns. She also captured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her sister Venus Williams.
As she prepares for her return, Williams said she is not putting any pressure on herself.
“I don’t need to win,” Williams said. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so it’s not that important to me, and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don’t have anything to prove.
“I don’t have anything to lose, and everything here is just to gain … This whole journey is like, I’m putting no pressure on myself.”
Williams also spoke about why she chose to play with Mboko, saying the young Canadian reminded her of her younger self because of her attitude, determination and resilience. After deciding to play at Queen’s Club at the last minute, Williams reached out to Mboko with a text message.
Mboko, meanwhile, believes Williams is ready to compete again at the highest level.
“She’s hitting great. She has such clean ball striking, she could probably take years off, and when she steps on the court she could probably find that rhythm again and find her timing. So I think that’s really a God-given gift that she has.
“I personally think she’s ready to go. I’m hitting with her, she’s hitting pretty big and she’s really fit, so we’ll see.”
