Serena Williams set to return to professional Tennis at London tournament

Twenty-three-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams is officially returning to professional tennis after nearly four years away from the sport.

The 44-year-old tennis icon has accepted a wild card invitation to compete in the doubles category at the upcoming Queen’s Club grass-court tournament in London, which is scheduled to begin in June.

This will mark her first competitive appearance since the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanović. Though she never formally announced her retirement at the time, choosing instead to describe her departure as evolving away from tennis, her return has been quietly underway for months.

To regain eligibility for the WTA Tour, Williams successfully re-entered the compulsory anti-doping testing pool late last year and completed the required six-month testing period, earning her official reinstatement by the International Tennis Integrity Agency.