Serena Williams is reportedly firming to make a return to the court for next month’s grand slam at Wimbledon. The 44-year-old American tennis legend has not played since a third-round loss at the 2022 US Open, leaving her one short of the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
At the time, she insisted she was not retiring but simply evolving away from tennis. However, she has since sparked rumours of a return by re-entering the testing pool and posting several videos of her on-court workouts on social media.
According to multiple media reports, Williams is set to return for the grass-court season and has asked for a wildcard to compete in doubles at Queen’s. The Served podcast, hosted by former men’s world number one Andy Roddick, reported on Thursday that Williams is likely to partner Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko in London at Queen’s, which starts on June 8.
Wimbledon: A Happy Hunting Ground
Wimbledon has been a successful venue for Williams, where she has won the women’s singles title seven times, the women’s doubles title six times, and the mixed doubles title once. The media storm has taken over the French Open, with Mboko being questioned about the potential partnership.
“I think for me I want to kind of let the moment be for her,” Mboko told reporters after her third-round match. “I feel like if she’s ready to come back on her own terms, then I feel like it’s up to her to announce that. Other than that I don’t really have much to say. I think the moment is all up to her and when she’s ready to come back. Yeah, it’s up to her.”
Other Players React
Coco Gauff expressed interest in facing Williams for the first time. “I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her,” Gauff said. “Everybody has been hearing rumours and stuff. So if they are true, I guess we’ll find out in a couple of days based off the rumours. We’ll see, but I think it would be cool for this sport to have a legend back playing.”
Another possibility is that Williams could team up with her older sister Venus in doubles, either at a lead-in tournament or on the ATP Tour. Venus returned to competition last July at age 45 after nearly two years off tour. At the US Open, Venus became the oldest player to compete in singles at the American grand slam since 1981. The Williams sisters have won 14 grand slam doubles titles together, and at last year’s DC Open, Venus expressed hope that Serena would again share the court with her.
