Serena Williams, at 44, has expressed that her return to professional tennis is centered around enjoyment rather than competition. With an illustrious career that includes 23 grand slam singles titles, she emphasized that winning is “I can’t say yeah, I can’t say no. Right now, no.”
Scheduled to compete in doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club, this marks Williams’ first competitive appearance since her retirement in 2022. Although she has also signed up for doubles in Berlin following this event, her long-term plans remain uncertain. When questioned about a potential return to singles, Williams stated, “I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so for me it’s not important. It’s important that I keep reminding myself of that because I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just a gain. “This whole journey is like I’m putting no pressure on myself. It’s really about my kids getting to see me play. I mean, Olympia [aged eight] is a little bit older, Adira [aged two] is very young, but it’s also still moments like that.”
Reflecting on her motivation to return to elite competition after a significant hiatus, Williams, who welcomed daughters in 2017 and 2023, conveyed, “An athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there’s a little bit of that too. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles. We’ll see if I get there. And if not … that’s not my journey right now. It’s summer, the kids aren’t in school, so it’s a perfect time to get out there, have fun and see what happens.”
She continued, “reminded me a lot of myself”
Williams also acknowledged the thrill of competing again, stating, “I remember seeing her play in Montreal [where Mboko won the 2025 Canadian Open]. I was impressed with her attitude, and what I liked the most about her was that the next time she played she still kept winning. Sometimes you win one and then have a little bit of a low, which is normal, and that’s OK as well. But I loved how she had this drive.” She admitted, “Growing up, Serena has always been my idol,”
On Sunday morning, Williams practiced with Mboko, who is currently ranked No. 9 in singles, in preparation for their first-round doubles match against the third-seeded duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, expected to occur on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Explaining her choice of partner, Williams remarked that Mboko “It was really hard not to like her because she won every tournament she played. So she was just an easy idol for me. “Seeing someone on TV versus actually talking to them in person and having conversations, of course, it’s very different. I think she’s really nice and she’s very personable, very relatable. And I think she’s really funny. So I’ve found a lot of comfort with her.” adding, “I was super nervous before playing her because it was just announced that she was stopping. “It’s really great to see her back. I think it’s an amazing inspiration and for all of us to see her around is a really cool thing. She’s the greatest female tennis player of all time. It’s just amazing to have her part of the tour again.”
This collaboration carries special significance for rising star Mboko, who was just 10 years old when Williams clinched her last grand slam title. “It was a tough match for me,” the Canadian said. “I think afterwards I found the next day pretty tough and I knew the best thing for me to do was to try and get back on the court straight away to just nip it in the bud. “I got practising pretty soon after and I took a long time away from competing. It did teach me a few things that I can hopefully take into the grass season. Of course, I haven’t had so many matches leading up to it. But I’ve been doing what I can day to day. That’s all I can really ask of myself and keep going.”
Mboko further reflected on the difference between seeing Williams on television and interacting with her in person, stating, “I think she’s really nice and she’s very personable, very relatable. And I think she’s really funny. So I’ve found a lot of comfort with her.”
Emma Raducanu, the reigning US Open champion, is among the last players to have faced Williams, defeating her 6-4, 6-0 in the 2022 Cincinnati Open, which was Williams’ penultimate tournament. Reflecting on that match, Raducanu expressed, “I remember that match. I was super nervous before playing her because it was just announced that she was stopping.”
Raducanu praised Williams’ return, noting, “It’s really great to see her back. I think it’s an amazing inspiration and for all of us to see her around is a really cool thing. She’s the greatest female tennis player of all time.”
In recent years, Raducanu has faced multiple physical challenges, recently exiting the French Open in the first round after battling a post-viral illness. Despite the setbacks, she maintained a positive outlook, saying, “I think afterwards I found the next day pretty tough and I knew the best thing for me to do was to try and get back on the court straight away.”
She added, “I got practising pretty soon after and I took a long time away from competing. It did teach me a few things that I can hopefully take into the grass season. Of course, I haven’t had so many matches leading up to it. But I’ve been doing what I can day to day. That’s all I can really ask of myself and keep going.”
