Comeback of century: Serena Williams returns to court at 44 for one goal
Serena Williams (photo: x.com/QueensTennis)
Legendary American tennis player Serena Williams is officially returning to the court after a four-year break, according to the official Queen's Club page on Twitter (X).
Secret preparation and a new partner
The comeback of the iconic champion will take place on June 8 on the courts of the legendary Queen’s Club — exactly 196 weeks after her last official match. Williams will compete in doubles.
Although organizers are still keeping her partner’s identity under wraps, BBC Sport reports that the American will team up with young Canadian Victoria Mboko.
Rumors about a comeback have been circulating for a long time, although Serena herself has denied them.
However, attentive fans noticed that as early as February, her name reappeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) testing pool lists for anti-doping control.
"Good news travels fast," the tennis player recently fueled interest with an eye-catching training video caption.
"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," Williams emotionally commented on her return.
Experts suggest this tournament could serve as a dress rehearsal for Wimbledon, which starts three weeks after the London event, where Serena has previously won seven titles in both singles and doubles.
Where has Serena been for 4 years?
The last time the legend stepped onto the court was at the home US Open 2022.
In the singles Round of 16, she lost in three sets to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović, while in doubles, she teamed up with her sister Venus and exited in the first round after losing to the Czech duo Hradecká / Nosková.
After that, Serena hinted at the end of her career, dedicating herself to her family and business ventures.
Who is Serena Williams: Key numbers of an era
Serena is not just an athlete, but an absolute global sports icon and the highest-earning woman in tennis history:
- 23 Grand Slam singles titles (7 Australian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 6 US Open, 3 Roland Garros)
- 319 weeks as world No. 1 (first reached the ranking in 2002 at age 21)
- 4-time Olympic champion (three of them in doubles)
- 96 WTA titles overall (23 in doubles). Notably, only one doubles title in 2002 was won without her sister, Venus
- $94,000,000 — the all-time record for career prize money in women’s tennis.
