Serena Williams Makes Comeback Official, Heading to Queen's Club Championships 2026

Serena Williams is officially back on the tennis circuit.

The 44-year-old champion revealed her comeback on Monday, June 1, marking a significant moment for the sport. The HSBC Championships account shared the news on social media, announcing that Williams would be competing in doubles play at the prestigious event.

The Queen's Club Championships will take place beginning Saturday, June 6, at West Kensington in London. Williams is slated to participate in the doubles draw.

To tease her return, Williams posted a playful video on social media showing herself receiving multiple calls and texts about her comeback. "I gotta change my number," she joked in the clip, with text reading "Guess everybody heard the news." She captioned the post with "Good news travels fast."

The tennis icon hasn't competed since the 2022 US Open, where she fell to Australia's Ajla Tomljanović. Though she never issued a formal retirement statement, the three-year absence marked a lengthy break from professional play.

Throughout her career, Williams held the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles for 319 weeks—the third-longest tenure in history—and claimed the year-end No. 1 title five times.

Last year, Williams opened up about the challenges she faced returning to peak fitness following childbirth, discussing her weight loss efforts as part of her journey back to competition.