By Teddy Nwanunobi
One of tennis’s greatest players, Serena Williams, is set to return to competitive action after nearly four years out, having been awarded a wildcard entry into the women’s doubles at Queen’s Club next week.
According to reports, the 44-year-old will team up with Canadian young talent Victoria Mboko as her partner in the event. Queen’s Club is a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 event and will take place in London starting from June 8.
Williams announced her return on Monday in a video posted on social media in which she was shown walking on to a tennis court with the caption ‘Guess everybody heard the news.’
“Good news travels fast. Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. 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,” she added.
The WTA also confirmed the development in a social media post, saying “The G.O.A.T is BACK @serenawilliams is officially returning to the stage. Watch Serena’s return at the #HSBCChampionships, Queen’s Club from June 8th!.”
The announcement has officially affirmed earlier speculation about the possibility of the 23-time Grand Slam singles title winner returning to the court after her name appeared on the list of players registered for the drug-testing pool last year.
Williams, at the time, denied she was planning a comeback, but talks intensified after her name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reinstatements list in February.
By the time she takes to court, it would mark her first competitive tennis appearance since “evolved away” from tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open.
She spent 319 weeks at the top of the world rankings and won 73 singles titles on the WTA Tour.