Tennis
great Serena Williams is set to make a return to professional tennis at
the age of 44, nearly four years after stepping away from the sport she
dominated for more than two decades.
The Women's Tennis
Association (WTA) announced on Monday that the 23-time Grand Slam
singles champion has accepted a wild-card entry for the doubles event at
next week's Queen's Club tournament in London, marking her first
competitive appearance since the 2022 US Open.
Williams, a
seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and six-time US Open winner, said
Queen's Club was the ideal venue to begin "this next chapter" of her
career. Her doubles partner has yet to be announced.
The
development has fueled speculation about possible appearances at
Wimbledon, which begins on June 28, and the US Open later this year.
Former
world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said the comeback could be part of a
gradual return aimed at competing in singles again, while tennis legend
John McEnroe suggested Williams could be a contender at Wimbledon
despite her age.
Current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka welcomed the
news, describing Williams as an inspiration and saying her return would
be good for the sport.
Williams has not played competitively
since the 2022 US Open, when she described her departure from tennis as
an "evolution" rather than retirement.
The American great became
eligible to return earlier this year after re-entering tennis' mandatory
anti-doping program, a key requirement for any professional comeback.
Williams owns 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, many of them won alongside
her sister, Venus Williams. �"AP
