23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams is officially making a comeback to professional tennis at age 44. She will return to the court to play doubles at the WTA 500 HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London, beginning June 8, 2026, after accepting a wildcard invitation for the doubles draw.
Williams is teaming up with rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko, the 19-year-old current Canadian number one in women’s singles. Serena has been actively preparing for her return, training in Florida and completing the mandatory six-month drug testing window required by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to ensure her eligibility.
Serena initially announced her retirement in a personal essay for Vogue on August 9, 2022, writing that she was “evolving away” from tennis to focus on her family and business interests, with the 2022 US Open intended as her final event. Her last professional appearance was an emotional third-round singles loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at that tournament, following a first-round exit at Wimbledon to Harmony Tan earlier that summer.
Now, with her comeback starting on the grass courts of Queen’s Club—a traditional warm-up for Wimbledon—anticipation is high to see if Serena can once again shine on the international stage. Her return is expected to inspire younger talents striving for similar greatness, while also serving as a personal test of whether she still has what it takes to reclaim her “star girl” status in the world of tennis.
