Serena Williams set for competitive return at Queen’s Championships
The 44-year-old American, cleared to compete since February, faces third seeds in her first match in nearly four years.
Serena Williams is poised to make her first competitive tennis appearance in nearly four years, entering the women’s doubles tournament at the Queen’s Championships. The 44-year-old American has been granted a wildcard entry into the event, partnering with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko for the grass-court season lead-up to Wimbledon.
Williams last competed at the 2022 US Open, where she was defeated in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic. Following that tournament, the 23-time Grand Slam champion stated she was “evolving away” from the sport, though she deliberately avoided using the term “retirement”, leaving open the possibility of a future return.
Her eligibility to return to the professional tour was confirmed after she re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s anti-doping testing pool in August 2023. Williams was officially cleared to compete on 22 February, paving the way for her recent announcement regarding her participation at Queen’s.
Williams and Mboko are expected to face a challenging opening round on Tuesday, 9 June, against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. The pairing has drawn significant attention, with Mboko noted as having idolised Williams during her upbringing.
The announcement has intensified speculation regarding whether Williams will receive a wildcard for singles or doubles at Wimbledon, where she suffered a first-round loss in 2022. Meanwhile, British players Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu have also received wildcards to reprise their partnership, facing fourth seeds Storm Hunter and Zhang Shuai.
In the United Kingdom, the tournament will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer, with the semi-finals and finals scheduled for BBC One and iPlayer.
