Details
- Williams, 44, will return to competitive tennis at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in west London, nearly four years after her last professional match.
- The tournament confirmed that Williams has received a doubles wildcard for the grass-court event, which begins on June 8.
- She is expected to play alongside 18-year-old Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko, who has described Williams as her idol.
- Williams said Queen’s Club felt like the perfect place to begin her “next chapter,” adding that grass courts had given her some of the most meaningful moments of her career.
- The American has not played competitively since the 2022 US Open, where she reached the third round after saying she was “evolving away” from tennis rather than formally retiring.
- Williams re-entered tennis’ anti-doping testing pool in 2025 and became eligible to compete again in February 2026, fuelling months of speculation about a return.
- Wimbledon remains the biggest question around her comeback. Williams has won seven singles titles and six doubles titles with her sister Venus at the All England Club.
- Her last Wimbledon appearance came in 2022, when she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan.
- Williams’ career includes 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 73 WTA singles trophies and 319 weeks as world No. 1, making her one of the most decorated players in tennis history.
- Current players including Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka have welcomed the comeback, while tournament officials said her return is a major boost for women’s tennis.
What Else
Attention will now shift to how Williams performs at Queen’s and whether she seeks a Wimbledon singles wildcard. Doubles may be the more realistic starting point after nearly four years away, but any Wimbledon appearance would be one of the biggest attractions of the grass-court season. If Williams does return to singles, it would set up the possibility of a blockbuster clash with the current generation led by players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.
