Serena Williams is moving back towards competitive tennis, with her grass-court return now taking shape through doubles events before Wimbledon.
The 44-year-old has not played competitively since the 2022 US Open, but that absence is now close to ending.
What remains unclear is whether this comeback will extend to Wimbledon itself.
Serena Williams return starts with doubles at Queen’s Club
Williams has accepted a wildcard into the doubles at Queen’s Club in London, placing her back on a competitive tennis schedule after almost four years away.
That is the firm starting point for this story. It is not a confirmed singles comeback. It is not yet a confirmed Wimbledon comeback. For now, it is a doubles return on grass.
Williams will play alongside Victoria Mboko, with the pair due to enter the doubles draw at Queen’s. The event gives Williams a competitive route back into the sport after a long absence from match play.
The setting is significant. Queen’s comes before Wimbledon and forms part of the grass-court build-up, but Williams has not presented this as a guaranteed step towards SW19.
That distinction matters. Williams’ status in tennis means every appearance will create a major reaction, but the confirmed facts are narrower than the wider excitement around her name.
She is a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and one of the defining athletes of the modern era. Even so, the immediate story is simple. Serena Williams is coming back in doubles, on grass, at Queen’s.
Wimbledon question grows after Berlin Tennis Open post
The Wimbledon question has grown because Berlin is now part of the picture.
The Berlin Tennis Open runs from June 13 to June 21, with the tournament staged as a WTA 500 event on the grass courts of Steffi Graf Stadium.
A Wimbledon social media post shown in the supplied source said Williams would play in Berlin and described the tournament as part of Wimbledon’s strategic investment in the grass-court season.
That does not confirm anything about Serena playing Wimbledon. It does, however, explain why the question is now unavoidable.
Queen’s gives Williams a first competitive test. Berlin would add another grass-court event in the weeks before Wimbledon. Together, they create a clear route through the grass season, even if the final destination is not yet known.
That is where the story should stay for now. A Wimbledon wildcard has not been confirmed. A singles return has not been confirmed. There is no verified entry that turns this into a definite SW19 comeback.
What is confirmed is still important. Williams is back on a competitive schedule, she is doing it on grass, and her return is already connected to two tournaments in the Wimbledon build-up.
The next step is no longer speculation about whether Serena Williams will play tennis again. That part is now answered. The unanswered question is how far this return goes, and whether Wimbledon becomes part of it.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
