Serena Williams discusses tennis’ comeback for the first time and leaves the door open for singles play

Queen’s Club, LONDON – Serena Williams has not ruled out a return to singles competition as she prepares for her first professional tournament in almost four years at Queen’s in west London

The 23-time Grand Slam champion will make her comeback in the doubles draw this week alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, but indicated her ambitions could eventually extend beyond doubles after quitting the sport after the 2022 US Open.

“I feel like I’m probably going to train a bit more. I want to play singles and we’ll see if I get there and if not, that’s not my journey at the moment,” she said at a press conference.

“The biggest thing I’ve missed is just the atmosphere. You don’t really think about how much you love things when you stop doing something. It’s these different things that I can try to experience in a different way, which I’ve never been able to do before. And also do it with my family.”

The younger of Williams’ two daughters is two years old and has never seen her mother compete professionally. The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion said she has little left to prove after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and spending 319 weeks as world No. 1.

“I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people do in a lifetime. I have nothing to lose. Everything is just gain.”

Williams, 44, stepped onto the grass last week and this weekend. Her return follows months of waiting after she re-entered tennis’ anti-doping testing program late last year and became eligible to compete in February.

The attention surrounding Williams’ return to the prestigious tournament was visible long before she entered the competition field. During practice sessions at Queen’s, spectators positioned the viewing areas several rows deep, along the railings and along the walkways to watch Williams and Mboko train, with phones held up everywhere.

After her first appearance on the practice courts on Thursday, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion’s next run-out arrived on Sunday.

Williams and Mboko were supposed to practice on Court 7 on Saturday morning, but a day of rain, which ultimately forced all qualifying matches to be abandoned, prevented that. Williams instead practiced off-site, posting a clip to TikTok from a nearby indoor track at a separate club. “When it rains, we adapt,” she wrote.

With Sunday’s practice at 10 a.m. on Court 7, the closest court to the private members’ clubhouse, Williams quickly switched to white tennis shoes with a black Nike tick, along with some custom ankle straps and the black face patches she wears to relieve sinus pressure. She started the hour and a half final with some rallies with Mboko from behind the baseline, led by Australian coach Rennae Stubbs.

Media cameras focused on Williams like a spotlight from the hospitality balcony, following her every move during the session. It ended in a 30-minute practice set with Mboko, against two male training partners.

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When it rains we adapt.

♬ original sound – Serenawilliams

When Williams began practicing those signature serves, there was an audible gasp of excitement from fans who missed her and some who had never seen her play. A young girl shouted, “Serena, Serena,” which slightly and very sweetly disrupted her concentration.

As Williams and Mboko practiced on the same side of the net at the end of their slot, there were a few moments where Stubbs told Mboko where to best position herself during Williams’ serve. The pair high-fived, whispered and giggled regardless of whether a point was won or lost. At the end of the session, they held their hands together to measure them before examining each other’s rackets.

Williams then took off her shoes, loosened the straps on her ankles, picked up her bag and followed Mboko off the field. With their respective entourages in tow, they left through a guarded door beneath the Sir Andy Murray Arena. Giant letters above them read: “Grass Season.”

That’s back this week, and so is Williams.

Victoria Mboko (left) and Serena Williams (right) will compete on the grass of Queen’s Club in London. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

When one of tennis’ GOATs first left the sport in 2022, she famously described the decision as “evolving away” rather than retiring, leaving open the possibility of a return. Few expected this to happen almost four years later.

Her comeback will begin at a tournament that is still finding its place in the modern women’s game. Elite women’s tennis returned to Queen’s Club in 2025 for the first time since 1973, ending a 52-year absence and restoring a historic stop to the grass-court calendar just three weeks before Wimbledon. The choice of location is fitting, as grass provided some of the defining moments of Williams’ career.

For Mboko, one of the fastest rising young players on the WTA Tour, the opportunity came unexpectedly. At her pre-tournament press conference, the Canadian said Williams contacted her while she was competing in the Strasbourg International, a clay-court event before the French Open, to ask if she wanted to play doubles at Queen’s.

The partnership brings together two players who are at completely different stages of their careers. Williams’ place in tennis history is secure as Mboko begins her journey at the highest level.

“Growing up, Serena has always been my idol in a way,” the 19-year-old said. “I remember watching her on TV and her matches so many times.”

“When the news came out, a lot of people asked me about it and stuff like that,” she said. “But I only play doubles. I still want to be competitive and do very well.”

Williams and Mboko will begin their Queen’s campaign against third-seeded pair Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the middle of next week, in what will be an immediate test for the new partnership. Routliffe was world number 1 in doubles two years ago and has established himself as one of the leading doubles players in Williams’ absence.

Mboko gave the most revealing assessment of Williams’ level. After practicing alongside the American this week, Mboko suggested the years without competition had done little to enhance the qualities that made Williams one of the greatest players of her generation. The question is whether she can produce it again and again under competitive pressure.

“She has such clean ball strikes,” Mboko said. “She can take years off and when she steps on the field, she can probably find that rhythm again in no time.”

Mboko added that Williams was “hitting quite big” and looked “very fit” during the practice sessions.

What kind of comeback Queen’s will spark remains unclear. Williams has taken a doubles wildcard into the Berlin Open ahead of a possible appearance at Wimbledon, where she won six women’s doubles titles.

What is already clear is the interest in her comeback, which will only increase as it develops.