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 nearly four years on Tuesday, 9 June, partnering 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 much at home on the grass court.
The crowd gave her a thunderous reception as she walked out in 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 forties.
Williams, 44, was anything but rusty.
She served a 113 mph ace at one point and attacked the net with strong volleys throughout the hour-plus match, appearing to relish 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 has also confirmed she will play doubles at the Berlin Tennis Open beginning on 15 June, though her partner for that tournament has yet to be announced.
Whether she goes further still remains an open question.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, 7 June, Williams said she had not ruled out singles matches.
“I can’t say no right now,” she told reporters.
“I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there, and if not… that’s not my journey right now.”
She was equally clear, though, that pressure and expectation are not what is driving her return.
“I don’t need to win,” she said.
“I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, 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 since, she has had another daughter, pursued new sports and embarked on a personal health journey.
Tuesday’s match suggested that whatever comes next, the competitive instinct is very much intact.
