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Serena Williams returns to competitive tennis at 44 in Queen’s Club doubles, eyeing a new chapter alongside rising star Victoria Mboko in London.
Serena Williams will make her return to tennis next week (Picture credit: AP)
23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is all set to return to competitive tennis at 44, as she announced her return at the Queen’s Club Championship, where she will compete in the women’s doubles.
Serena has received a wildcard entry for the tournament, which starts on June 8. While her doubles partner hasn’t been announced, reports suggest she is expected to team up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.
At just 19 years of age, Mboko is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in women’s tennis and holds the world No. 9 ranking in singles.
Serena stepped away from professional tennis in 2022, describing the decision as an ‘evolution’ away from the sport after a brilliant 27-year career that yielded 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Speculation about a comeback started circulating last year when Serena’s name appeared on the list of players enrolled in the sport’s anti-doping testing pool.
Although Serena dismissed suggestions of a comeback, speculation intensified in February when her name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of reinstated players, fuelling fresh rumours about a potential return to competition.
On Monday, Serena fuelled further speculation by posting a clip on social media showing herself walking onto a tennis court. The clip carried the caption, ‘Guess everybody heard the news’, alongside another message that read, ‘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 am excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages,” Serena said.
Serena is all set to return to competitive action in London at the WTA 500 event, marking her first appearance on a tennis court in 196 weeks since her farewell tournament at the 2022 US Open.
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