Serena Williams Set for Tennis Return at Queen's, Doubles Match Scheduled

Serena Williams is set to make her highly awaited return to the tennis court on Monday, participating in the women's doubles event at Queen's. The 44-year-old tennis icon revealed last week her plans to re-enter competitive tennis this summer, nearly four years after her last match.

Williams concluded her last appearance at the 2022 US Open, where she was defeated in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic. While she had previously mentioned that she was “evolving away” from tennis, she deliberately avoided using the term “retirement,” indicating the possibility of a future return. Speculation about her comeback intensified when she rejoined the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s anti-doping testing pool in August, a necessary step for competing professionally, and she has been eligible to compete since February 22.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has received a wildcard to join the doubles competition at Queen’s, a significant tournament leading up to Wimbledon. She will team up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who has long admired Williams as a role model.

This development has sparked further anticipation regarding a potential wildcard entry for either singles or doubles at Wimbledon, where Williams faced a first-round exit in 2022. Williams and Mboko are scheduled to play their opening match on Tuesday, June 9, facing a challenging duo: third-seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez from the USA and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe. Additionally, Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu will continue their doubles partnership from last year's tournament after being granted a wildcard, taking on fourth seeds Storm Hunter and Zhang Shuai.

For those in the UK, the Queen's tournament will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer, with the semi-finals and finals available on BBC One and iPlayer.