Serena Williams is returning to the sport she dominated.
Williams didn’t call stepping away from the game a retirement, but she hasn’t played in a match for three years, CNN reported.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” she said at the time, according to Vogue. Instead, she said she was going to “evolve away from tennis.”
But she is stepping back into the game.
The Queens Club announced Williams’ return on social media, saying she will play in the doubles at the championship.
THE QUEEN RETURNS 👑
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 1, 2026
Serena Williams is BACK & set for doubles at the #HSBCChampionships!@WTA | @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/lohvVo7cEy
She also posted to X that “Good news travels fast.”
Good news travels fast. pic.twitter.com/R7x7EFPUJ8
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 1, 2026
The HSBC Championships begin in London on June 6. The women’s doubles tournament will start on June 8. She’s expected to play alongside Canadian teen Victoria Mboko, the BBC reported.
The 44-year-old icon won 23 Grand Slam singles titles over 27 years, before she left in 2022, according to the BBC. The 23 championships are the most won by a woman in the Open era, and one fewer than the record 24, earned by Margaret Court.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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