Serena Williams to make pro tennis return at the HSBC Championships in London

Serena Williams Set for Tennis Comeback at London's Queen's Club

Serena Williams is returning to competitive tennis after nearly two years away from the sport.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion announced Monday that she will compete in doubles at the HSBC Championships, a prestigious grass-court tournament held at The Queen's Club in London. The event runs through June 21 and serves as a key tune-up for Wimbledon, which begins in July.

"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," Williams said in a news release. "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."

Williams retired following the 2022 U.S. Open. Over the past year, she re-entered the World Anti-Doping Agency's testing pool, though she repeatedly denied that a comeback was imminent.

The HSBC Championships celebrated her participation with a post on social media platform X: "THE QUEEN RETURNS. Serena Williams is BACK & set for doubles at the #HSBCChampionships!"

Williams's accomplishments include 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles—her most recent coming in 2016—and three Olympic gold medals in doubles competition.

"Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we're delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA's HSBC Championships," said Laura Robson, the WTA Tournament Director for the event. "Women's tennis made a historic return to The Queen's Club last year, and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court at this prestigious venue—it's very exciting for the tournament and the fans."

The Queen's Club hosted women's tennis for the first time in 2023, marking a significant milestone for the venue traditionally associated with the men's pre-Wimbledon event.