Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Serena Williams will make her long-anticipated return to competitive tennis this month, nearly four years after her last professional match.
The 23-time grand slam singles champion has accepted a wildcard invitation to play doubles at the upcoming Queen’s Club grasscourt tournament in London, the WTA Tour announced on Monday.
Williams 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 was captioned: “Good news travels fast.”
Williams – the greatest female tennis player of the Open Era – retired from professional tennis at the 2022 US Open after losing to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, and won the last of her grand slam singles titles in 2017.
The 44-year-old re-entered the anti-doping testing pool last year in a move that was widely considered to hint at a comeback, before she shut down speculation online.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a 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.”
The WTA said Williams will play “with a partner to be announced in due course”.
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.
Mboko has surged into the world’s top 10 in the past six months, beating top 10 players including Mirra Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina and Karolina Muchova.
Valerie Camillo, chair of the women’s tennis body WTA, said the tour was thrilled to welcome Williams back.
“Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court … I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players,” Camillo said.
“We are thrilled to welcome her back to the WTA Tour at this hugely exciting moment for women’s tennis.”
Martina Navratilova, the previous oldest former No.1 to launch a comeback, at 43 years, 10 months, said: “Serena brought the game to another level, and it is incredible for the sport that she’s pushing the boundaries and coming back.”
“To many of the younger players, they never had the opportunity to play her; some may have never watched her on television, so this will be a new and exciting experience,” Navratilova added.
Speaking in Paris, defending French Open champion Coco Gauff said: “One of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her. It would be cool for this sport to have a legend back playing.”
with Reuters, AP
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Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
