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The G.O.A.T. is back!
Serena Williams officially announced her return to professional tennis Monday morning (June 1), confirming she will compete in doubles at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London next week.
Williams first teased the news with a 17-second Nike video posted to social media, showing her walking toward her buzzing phone on a tennis court as the words "Guess everybody heard the news" flashed across the screen. Minutes later, the tournament made it official. "The Queen returns," Queen's Club posted on social media.
Shortly after, the WTA confirmed the news, declaring Williams was "officially returning to the stage."
"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," Williams said in a statement, per ESPN. "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 at the 2022 US Open, where she famously chose the word "evolving" over "retiring" — a distinction that, in hindsight, meant everything.
She will partner with world No. 9 Victoria Mboko in doubles. She was officially cleared to compete on February 22, 2026, after re-entering the International Tennis Integrity Agency's drug-testing pool — a required step before returning to competition.
As recently as December, she posted on X: "Omg y'all I'm NOT coming back." Consider that officially walked back.
The tennis world has been watching and waiting. Coco Gauff — who grew up idolizing Williams — said a return would be "really cool for the sport." Naomi Osaka, who famously beat Williams at the 2018 US Open final, said she would be "really excited" to see her back.
"I think she's one of the best players in the world, of course," Osaka said.
The numbers behind the comeback are staggering. Williams holds the women's Open Era record for Grand Slam singles titles with 23, spent 319 weeks ranked No. 1, won four Olympic gold medals, claimed 14 major doubles titles alongside sister Venus, and is believed to be the highest-paid female athlete in history.
Venus Williams, 45, who made her own comeback last July, never wanted her sister to walk away. "The only thing that would make this better is if she was here," Venus said last summer. "But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know."
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