Serena Williams is back and she marked her return to tennis with a victory.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion played her first competitive match in almost four years on Tuesday June 9, alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, 19, in a doubles match at the Queen’s Club Championship in London.
The pair beat Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, with Williams looking very comfortable on the grass court.
The crowd gave her a thunderous welcome as she came out wearing a light pink Nike warm-up jacket and tennis dress.
Her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, were in the stands to watch. So was Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, a close friend of Williams who herself came out of retirement in her 40s.
Williams, 44, was anything but rusty.
She served an ace at 113 mph at one point and attacked the net with strong volleys throughout the hour-plus match, appearing to savor every moment of it.
The Queen’s Club event, which traditionally serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon, is the first of at least two scheduled appearances.
Williams also confirmed that she will play doubles at the Berlin Tennis Open starting June 15, although her partner for that tournament has not yet been announced.
The question of whether it will go further still remains open.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, June 7, Williams said she has not ruled out singles matches.
“I can’t say no right now,” she told reporters.
“I feel like I probably need to practice a little more if I want to play singles, and we’ll see if I can do that, and if not… that’s not my journey right now.”
She was equally clear, however, that pressure and expectations are not what is driving her return.
“I don’t need to win,” she said.
“I’ve earned more than most people in their lifetime, so it’s not that important to me, and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don’t have anything to prove.”
Williams stepped away from professional tennis after the US Open in September 2022, describing her departure at the time as an evolution rather than a retirement.
In the years that followed, she had another daughter, took up new sports and embarked on a personal health journey.
Tuesday’s game suggested that whatever came next, the competitive instinct remained intact.
