Serena Williams is returning to professional tennis less than four years after stepping away from the sport, the 44-year-old superstar announced on Monday.
The 39-time Grand Slam champion revealed her comeback through a Nike advertisement, which shows her on the court as her phone buzzes with incoming calls and text messages. As she reaches for her phone, the words “Guess everybody heard the news” flash across the screen, followed by Williams saying, “I gotta change my number.”
The announcement follows reports that she is scheduled to play doubles at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club next week. It also comes months after she re-entered the anti-doping programme, a mandatory step for any active player.
That move had sparked rumours of a comeback, but Williams dismissed the speculation in December, writing on X: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
Her 2022 US Open appearance never felt like a definitive farewell, as she often described herself as being done “for now.” That has now changed.
Since stepping away from tennis, Williams has focused on her business ventures and raising her two children with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Now, she is ready to test herself on the court once again.
