Serena Williams announces return to professional tennis

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LONDON: Tennis icon Serena Williams is officially ending her retirement and returning to professional competition, nearly four years after walking away from the sport.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion confirmed on Monday that she has accepted a wildcard entry into the women's doubles tournament at the upcoming HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London. The grass-court appearance is widely expected to serve as her first competitive step toward a potential return to Wimbledon later this month.

Williams has not played a professional match since her emotional farewell at the 2022 US Open, where she reached the third round. Her return follows months of speculation that intensified after she re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency's anti-doping testing pool in late 2025 to regain competition eligibility.