June 1 (Reuters) – American great Serena Williams on Monday announced her long-anticipated return to competitive tennis following a prolonged absence at this month’s Queen’s Club Championships, as the 44-year-old reignited memories of her dominance over two decades.
Williams, who won the last of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in 2017 and has not competed since the 2022 U.S. Open, received a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, the London-based club said in a statement.
She posted a video on social media in which she was shown walking off a tennis court to her buzzing phone.
“Guess everybody heard the news,” she said, while the post had the caption: “Good news travels fast.”
A LONG-AWAITED RETURN
Speculation around Williams’ return had intensified after she was cleared to officially enter tournaments after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” former world number one Williams, now a mother of two daughters, said in the statement.
“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.”
Multiple reports in the British media said that Williams will team up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, after requesting a wildcard for the June 8 to 14 tournament.
The attention will now shift to whether Wimbledon, where Williams won seven singles titles, will also offer her a path to compete at the All England Club when the grasscourt Grand Slam gets underway on June 29.
‘ONE OF THE GREATEST ATHLETES OF ALL TIME’
Williams has been on a mission to get fit in the last few months, often posting about her journey on social media, after last playing on the WTA Tour in September 2022.
She had retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the U.S. Open, having said before the event that she was “evolving away from tennis” to prioritise other aspects of life only to announce a return nearly four years later.
The door is now open for a potential revival of her successful doubles partnership with her sister Venus, who is 15 months older and still playing on the circuit.
The pair have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
Valerie Camillo, chair of the women’s tennis body WTA, said the tour was thrilled to welcome the younger Williams back.
“Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court… I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players,” Camillo said.
“We are thrilled to welcome her back to the WTA Tour at this hugely exciting moment for women’s tennis.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Chiranjit Ojha; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Christian Radnedge)
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