Serena Williams announces sensational tennis return at age of 44

Serena Williams has not played professional tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round; 44-year-old said in December she was 'not coming back'; watch ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports+, NOW and the Sky Sports app

>Serena Williams will make a sensational return to professional tennis at the age of 44 in next week's HSBC Championships at Queen's Club.

>Williams has not played professional tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round, although she branded her departure as "evolving away" from the sport rather than a retirement.

>The 44-year-old shut down rumours about a comeback as recently as December, but has been confirmed as a wild-card entry for the women's doubles at Queen's, and is expected to partner rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko.

>"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," said Williams.

>"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."

>Tournament director Laura Robson added: "Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we're delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA's HSBC Championships."

>A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)

>Wimbledon begins on June 29 where Williams could be handed a wild-card, although it is unclear if she wants to only play doubles or target a singles comeback.

>Her return has almost felt inevitable after she registered with the sport's drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in December.

>Athletes who decide to return to testing need to provide information about their time and locations when they are available to give samples.

>They also need to complete testing for six months before they are allowed to return to competition.

>Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-

>Williams' older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July at the age of 45 after almost two years away from the tour, and she also never announced her retirement.

>At the 2025 US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.

>Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, has spoken previously about wanting Serena to join her back on tour. They claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.

>Williams, who played her first professional tennis match back in 1995, admitted the major motivation behind initially calling it quits three years ago was her desire to have a second child.

>She gave birth to her second daughter in August 2023, having welcomed her first child almost six years earlier with husband Alexis Ohanian.

>Williams was in the early stages of pregnancy with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open to move just one Grand Slam singles title behind the all-time record held by Margaret Court.

>She reached four more finals on her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was beaten in straight sets on each occasion.

>Williams, who won her first major title in 1999 at the US Open as a 17-year-old, told Vogue in 2022 when she revealed plans to walk away from tennis: "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want [Court's] record.

>"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth.

>"Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn't show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that's fine. Actually it's extraordinary."

>Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

>We ultimately won't know until Williams addresses the media but it seems her love for tennis has not gone away and the American believes she can be competitive.

>Williams already made a comeback in 2018 just six months after giving birth to her first daughter but was unable to add to her 2023 major singles titles, losing in four Grand Slam finals.

>Nevertheless, she was still a top 10 players in 2021 before a leg injury led to her evolution away from tennis, using her words, following the 2022 US Open.

>Williams is not the first player to return in her 40s - Martina Navratilova did so in 2000 at 43 years old and largely competed in doubles.

>Remarkably, Navratilova won three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles in her 40s and she's regarded as one of the best female players of all-time. Perhaps Williams thinks she can follow in her footsteps?

>Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe told TNT Sports: "I'm semi-shocked to do this at her age after having two kids, and what she's accomplished.

>"Serena Williams is the GOAT and she expects to go out and win every match she plays, she was upset even after she had the kid that she wasn't winning the majors.

>"If she's coming back, she's not coming back because she's happy to play and it's fun. She wants to win another major, that's the only reason that I can think of that Serena Williams would want to play tennis again, not to go out and just play. She could do that anytime she wanted."

>Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.