Serena Williams has become one of the elite athletes to plan a return to competitive tennis after nearly four-year absence. The 23-times Grand Slam winner and mother of two has received a ​wildcard entry into the doubles draw at this month’s Queen’s Club Championships.
As reported by the British media, she will partner with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. The 44-year-old ended months of speculation around her rumoured return to the court with a cheeky social media video captioned: “Good news travels fast.”
“I’m semi-shocked that she’s decided to do this at her age after having two kids and what she’s ​accomplished,” commentator and retired great John McEnroe said on TNT Sports on Monday.
When Serena played her last match at the 2022 US Open, she said she was “evolving away from tennis’. The tournament turned into a grand farewell celebration, honouring one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and a true icon of American tennis.
Serena had hoped to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title after becoming a mother for the first time in 2017, but that goal remained out of reach. After giving birth to her second child in 2023, a return to professional tennis seemed increasingly unlikely.
“She didn’t win a major after she had her first kid and I know that was something she wanted to prove she could do and so I’m assuming she was slightly disappointed in not doing that,” McEnroe said.
However, Serena is far from the only elite athlete considering a comeback later in her career. Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix revealed earlier this year that she is aiming to make the United States team for a sixth Olympic Games. Felix hopes to earn a place in the mixed 4x400m relay team at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, despite previously suggesting that the Tokyo Games would be her last.
“It’s just about testing the limits, kind of an experiment of what’s still left there,” the 40-year-old Felix, who had her second child in 2024, told “The TODAY Show” last month.
Another athlete who has successfully returned to competition is Lindsey Vonn. The American skiing star became the oldest downhill skier to win a World Cup race in December after making a comeback following knee-replacement surgery.
Vonn, whose Milano-Cortina Olympic hopes later suffered a setback because of a serious crash, was among the first high-profile athletes to encourage Serena on social media.
Tennis has also seen several notable comeback stories. Serena’s close friend Caroline Wozniacki reached the fourth round of the US Open in both 2023 and 2024 after returning to the sport. Meanwhile, Serena’s older sister, Venus Williams, became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 after returning from a 16-month break last year.
“(Serena’s) return is an expression of her passion for competition,” WTA Chair Valerie Camillo said in a statement on Monday. “I cannot wait to see her face a new generation.”
