Photo: Marc Piasecki/WireImage
It’s been four years since we last saw Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time, on the tennis court. After raising the bar in the sport for more than three decades, she announced in 2022 that she was ready to “evolv[e] away from tennis,” which most fans assumed meant she was retiring for good. But it looks like her brief retirement has come to an end. The HSBC Championships confirmed Monday that “the Queen” has officially returned and is set to make her big comeback in London next week. Williams coyly addressed the news on her Instagram Monday, captioning a video of her on the court, “Good news travels fast.”
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement on the Lawn Tennis Association website. “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.”
THE QUEEN RETURNS 👑
Serena Williams is BACK & set for doubles at the #HSBCChampionships!@WTA | @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/lohvVo7cEy
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 1, 2026
The announcement doesn’t come as a total surprise. Three years after her last match at the 2022 U.S. Open, “The Athletic” reported that Williams’s name had appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of players who were registered in the international testing pool. At the time, Williams quickly shut down rumors of a comeback, writing on X at the time, “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-.”
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
Luckily for us, it’s for real this time. While it’s not clear who her doubles partner is, the 44-year-old will, in fact, be making an appearance at the Queen’s Club next week, beginning with women’s qualifying on June 6, followed by the women’s main draw on June 8. I don’t think it gets much better than watching a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and Olympic gold medalist return to the sport she altered forever. Good news, indeed.
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