The queen returns: Serena Williams stages grass-court comeback at Queen’s
The Mt Kenya Times 
Serena Williams
Four years after walking away, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is back on the grass — and she has two words for anyone wondering why
By Norman Mwale
Serena Williams returned to professional tennis on Tuesday, stepping onto the grass at Queen’s Club in west London to compete at the HSBC Championships — her first match in nearly four years.
The 44-year-old American, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, accepted a wild-card entry into the women’s doubles, partnering 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. The pair, separated by a quarter-century in age, opened against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe on Andy Murray Arena. It was a formidable draw for a first match back, though the seeded duo had never previously played together as a team, a detail that could yet prove significant.
Williams last competed at the 2022 US Open, where she signalled her intention to step away from the sport that had defined her for two decades, telling the world she was “evolving away” from tennis. She never formally retired. On Monday, she met the press for the first time in four years and fielded questions about her return with characteristic brevity. Asked why she had come back, her answer was three syllables: “Why not?”
That simplicity belies the scale of the moment. The HSBC Championships, a WTA 500 event, runs from 8 to 14 June at Queen’s Club and serves as one of the key grass-court warm-ups before Wimbledon. Williams has not committed to singles play. Pressed on whether she might return to the All England Club in singles, she was direct: “Right now, no.”
The comeback does not stop in London. Berlin Open organisers confirmed that Williams will compete in doubles at the German grass-court event beginning 13 June. Her partner there has yet to be announced. The two tournaments sit back-to-back on the calendar, with Wimbledon following a fortnight later.
Williams said she had nothing to prove upon her return, adding that winning was not her focus. She described the partnership with Mboko as a cautious re-entry into match play, a chance to find her rhythm before making any larger decisions. Mboko, ranked world No. 9 and widely regarded as one of the most disruptive young talents on the WTA Tour, said it was an honour to share a court with one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Williams also revealed that one of her motivations for returning was giving her daughters, Olympia and Adira, the chance to watch her compete. It is a detail that adds warmth to what might otherwise be read as a purely sporting calculation — and it suggests that whatever happens on the scoreboard this week, the comeback means something beyond results.
Williams announced her return on 1 June through a teaser video showing her phone chiming as she crossed a tennis court, closing with the message: “guess everybody heard the news.” She received a wild card for the event shortly afterwards. For now, the comeback is doubles only, grass-court only, and defined by two words that make no promises but leave every door open: why not.
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