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Serena Williams returns to pro tennis in doubles at Queen’s Club with Victoria Mboko, eyes Berlin Open too, says comeback is for her children and keeps singles options open
Tennis legend Serena Williams (AP)
Serena Williams is set to make her long-awaited return to professional tennis this week, nearly four years after stepping away from the sport. Tournament organisers have confirmed that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will begin her comeback on Tuesday at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, where she will partner Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the women’s doubles draw.
The pair will face third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the opening round of the grass-court event, which serves as a key warm-up tournament ahead of Wimbledon. Williams is also scheduled to compete in doubles at the Berlin Open later this month.
Speaking ahead of her return, Serena Williams revealed that family played a major role in her decision to compete again. “It’s really about the kids seeing me play,” Williams told reporters at Queen’s on Sunday. “Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. It’s components like that.”
The 44-year-old, who last appeared on tour at the 2022 US Open when she announced she was “evolving away from tennis”, insisted she is returning without the pressures that defined much of her remarkable career.
“It’s important that I keep reminding myself of that because I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just a gain.”
Serena Williams Explains Return
Williams also explained that the idea of returning developed gradually rather than through a carefully planned strategy. “And then I was just talking to a few people and just, you know, chatting about different possibilities and just having fun.”
Speculation remains over whether the American great could eventually return to singles competition, particularly with Wimbledon approaching. However, Williams stopped short of making any commitments.
“For singles, I can’t say ‘yeah’ and I can’t say ‘no’,” Williams explained. “Right now, no. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles.
“We will see if I get there and if not, it is not my journey right now.”
For now, Williams is focused on enjoying the experience, sharing it with her family and embracing what she describes as an opportunity where everything is simply “a gain.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for over a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket conten…Read More
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