Serena Williams shares update on her singles return and explains why she’s coming back
Serena Williams recently shared whether she feels like playing singles tennis again and explained why she made a surprising decision to come out of retirement. The 44-year-old, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, announced last week that she’s returning to the court. She’ll team up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in the Queen’s women’s doubles round of 16 on Tuesday, June 9. They’ll face Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
Williams hasn’t played a pro match since she retired after the 2022 US Open. So why the surprise comeback? Serena says it’s not about chasing more trophies. Instead, she wants her kids to see her play. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself,” she said after training with Mboko at Queen’s Club on Sunday. “Right now, it’s really about so many things—mostly my kids watching me. Olympia is a little older now, and Adira is very young.”
Olympia is eight years old, and Adira, who was born after Serena retired, is two. Serena added, “Being an athlete at the top level is amazing, and having a chance to do it maybe one last time is pretty cool and exciting.”
Talking about her sudden decision, she joked, “It’s summer, the kids aren’t in school, so it’s a perfect time to get out there, have fun, and see what happens.”
Besides playing at the HSBC Championships in London, she’ll also compete in the Berlin Tennis Open later in June, with a possible Wimbledon wildcard in the mix. Maybe.
When asked about a singles comeback, she didn’t say no. “I probably need to train more if I want to play singles. We’ll see if I get there, but if not, that’s okay—it’s not my main focus right now.”
Williams has won the Wimbledon singles title seven times and six doubles titles there. Overall, she has 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all with her sister Venus.