NEW YORK: American great Serena Williams on Monday announced her long-anticipated return to competitive tennis following a prolonged absence at this month's Queen's Club Championships, as the 44-year-old reignited memories of her dominance over two decades. Williams, who won the last of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in 2017 and has not competed since the 2022 U.S. Open, received a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, the London-based club said in a statement. She posted a video on social media in which she was shown walking off a tennis court to her buzzing phone.
"Guess everybody heard the news," she said, while the post had the caption: "Good news travels fast."
Speculation around Williams' return had intensified after she was cleared to officially enter tournaments after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year.
"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," former world number one Williams, now a mother of two daughters, said in the statement.
"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."
Multiple reports in the British media said that Williams will team up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, after requesting a wildcard for the June 8 to 14 tournament.
The attention will now shift to whether Wimbledon, where Williams won seven singles titles, will also offer her a path to compete at the All England Club when the grasscourt Grand Slam gets underway on June 29.Agencies
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