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(CNN) — Tennis great Serena Williams is set to return to the court in the doubles competition at the HSBC Championships next week, Queen’s Club has confirmed.
Williams, 44, never officially announced her retirement, but it’s been almost four years since her last match. Late last year, though, the 23-time grand slam singles champion started taking steps toward a possible return to action.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement on the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) 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.”
Williams last played in 2022, when she lost in the US Open to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović. At the time, she did not use the word “retirement,” instead saying she was “evolving away from tennis.”
The HSBC Championships are due to start in London on June 6 with women’s qualifying. The women’s main draw will then begin on June 8.
Williams is set to feature in the doubles tournament, but has yet to reveal who her partner will be. However, Queen’s Club’s tournament director, Laura Robson, said during TNT Sports’ Monday broadcast that 19-year-old Victoria Mboko would be Williams’ partner.
Hinted return
Until now, there had been no official confirmation that the American would be returning to the sport that she dominated for so many years. But there were signs.
In December 2025, her name appeared on a list on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) website showing players registered in the international testing pool. The document was dated October 6, 2025.
Returning players can’t compete unless they’ve given at least six months’ written notice of their intent to return, as well as make themselves available for testing for a period of six months before competing, according to tennis anti-doping rules.
Williams, though, tried to dampen expectation at the time.
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back,” Williams initially said on X. “This wildfire is crazy.”
On Monday, though, the 44-year-old posted what seemed like a cryptic video on her social media, which showed her walking on a tennis court before it ended with the words: “Guess everybody heard the news.”
Then, shortly after, Queen’s Club made it official, announcing she had been given a wild card entry into the doubles draw.
The grass-court tournament also serves as a build-up to Wimbledon, a place where Williams has won seven singles, six doubles and one mixed-doubles title. It’s not yet clear whether Williams will participate in the major this year.
Wimbledon posted a message on social media reacting to the news, though, reacting with a caption that read: “Serena on grass” with a green heart emoji.
“Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we’re delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA’s HSBC Championships,” WTA tournament director Laura Robson said in a statement Monday.
“Women’s tennis made a historic return to The Queen’s Club last year, and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court at this prestigious venue – it’s very exciting for the tournament and the fans.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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