\n\t\t\t\t\t\t Tennis great Serena Williams is set to return to the court in the doubles competition at the HSBC Championships next week, Queen\u2019s Club has confirmed.Williams, 44, never officially announced her retirement, but it\u2019s been almost four years since her last match. Late last year, though, the 23-time grand slam singles champion started taking steps toward a possible return to action.\u201cQueen\u2019s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,\u201d Williams said in a statement on the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) website. \u201cGrass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I\u2019m excited to be back competing on one of the sport\u2019s most iconic stages.\u201dWilliams last played in 2022, when she lost in the US Open to Australia\u2019s Ajla Tomljanovi\u0107. At the time, she did not use the word \u201cretirement,\u201d instead saying she was \u201cevolving away from tennis.\u201dThe HSBC Championships are due to start in London on June 6 with women\u2019s qualifying. The women\u2019s main draw will then begin on June 8.Williams is set to feature in the doubles tournament, but it\u2019s not yet clear who her partner will be.Hinted returnUntil now, there had been no official confirmation that the American would be returning to the sport that she dominated for so many years. But there were signs.In December 2025, her name appeared on a list on the International Tennis Integrity Agency\u2019s (ITIA) website showing players registered in the international testing pool. The document was dated October 6, 2025.Returning players can\u2019t compete unless they\u2019ve given at least six months\u2019 written notice of their intent to return, as well as make themselves available for testing for a period of six months before competing, according to tennis anti-doping rules.Williams, though, tried to dampen expectation at the time.\u201cOmg yall I\u2019m NOT coming back,\u201d Williams initially said on X. \u201cThis wildfire is crazy.\u201dOn Monday, though, the 44-year-old posted what seemed like a cryptic video on her social media, which showed her walking on a tennis court before it ended with the words: \u201cGuess everybody heard the news.\u201dThen, shortly after, Queen\u2019s Club made it official, announcing she had been given a wild card entry into the doubles draw.The grass-court tournament also serves as a build-up to Wimbledon, a place where Williams has won seven singles, six doubles and one mixed-doubles title. It\u2019s not yet clear whether Williams will participate in the major this year.Wimbledon posted a message on social media reacting to the news, though, reacting with a caption that read: \u201cSerena on grass\u201d with a green heart emoji.\u201cSerena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we\u2019re delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA\u2019s HSBC Championships,\u201d WTA tournament director Laura Robson said in a statement Monday.\u201cWomen\u2019s tennis made a historic return to The Queen\u2019s Club last year, and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court at this prestigious venue \u2013 it\u2019s very exciting for the tournament and the fans.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tLONDON \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Tennis great Serena Williams is set to return to the court in the doubles competition at the HSBC Championships next week, Queen\u2019s Club has confirmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Williams, 44, never officially announced her retirement, but it\u2019s been almost four years since her last match. Late last year, though, the 23-time grand slam singles champion started taking steps toward a possible return to action.<\/p>\n \u201cQueen\u2019s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,\u201d Williams said in a statement on the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) website<\/a>. \u201cGrass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I\u2019m excited to be back competing on one of the sport\u2019s most iconic stages.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams last played in 2022, when she lost in the US Open to Australia\u2019s Ajla Tomljanovi\u0107. At the time, she did not use the word \u201cretirement,\u201d instead saying she was \u201cevolving away from tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n The HSBC Championships are due to start in London on June 6 with women\u2019s qualifying. The women\u2019s main draw will then begin on June 8.<\/p>\n Williams is set to feature in the doubles tournament, but it\u2019s not yet clear who her partner will be.<\/p>\n Hinted return<\/p>\n Until now, there had been no official confirmation that the American would be returning to the sport that she dominated for so many years. But there were signs.<\/p>\n In December 2025, her name appeared on a list on the International Tennis Integrity Agency\u2019s (ITIA) website showing players registered in the international testing pool<\/a>. The document was dated October 6, 2025.<\/p>\n Returning players can\u2019t compete unless they\u2019ve given at least six months\u2019 written notice of their intent to return, as well as make themselves available for testing for a period of six months before competing, according to tennis anti-doping rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n Williams, though, tried to dampen expectation at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cOmg yall I\u2019m NOT coming back,\u201d Williams initially said on X. <\/a>\u201cThis wildfire is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, though, the 44-year-old posted what seemed like a cryptic video<\/a> on her social media, which showed her walking on a tennis court before it ended with the words: \u201cGuess everybody heard the news.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, shortly after, Queen\u2019s Club made it official, announcing she had been given a wild card entry into the doubles draw.<\/p>\n The grass-court tournament also serves as a build-up to Wimbledon, a place where Williams has won seven singles, six doubles and one mixed-doubles title. It\u2019s not yet clear whether Williams will participate in the major this year.<\/p>\n Wimbledon posted a message on social media reacting to the news, though, reacting with a caption<\/a> that read: \u201cSerena on grass\u201d with a green heart emoji.<\/p>\n