Serena William’s Return to Tennis

Serena Williams, a well-known Olympian who has won several medals, came out of retirement to play tennis once again. Her debut match from retirement was a women’s double, at London’s Queen’s Court on June 9, 2026. Her partner was 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, who considers Williams as a lifelong model. “Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice, because I really look up to her,” Mboko said at Roland Garros last week. “I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very — it’s very exciting. … She’s my idol.” They won with the score of 7-6 in the first set. Since tennis has the rule of a two point difference, their next set continued. Williams and Mboko dominated the second set, with a 6-2 in William’s and Mboko’s favor. Their opponents were third-seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. Williams has also broken a record: being the oldest woman out of retirement at the age of 44.

Rumors of Williams’ return started after Williams’ name appeared in the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) drug-testing pool list in late 2025. Williams denied the comeback on social media, keeping her return secret. Williams started playing tennis entirely for fun and for her daughters. Her youngest daughter, Adria (born 2023), had never seen Williams play. This is not the only match she will have this year. She has entered in the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Berlin Tennis Open, for a doubles draw. Her partner has not been announced yet.

This 23-time Grand Slam winner has not decided on Wimbledon or singles yet. Serena has put together some of history’s greatest matches, such as the 1999 U.S. Open Final vs. Martina Hingis. Williams beat Hingis to win her first Grand Slam trophy. Hingis was ranked World No. 1 at that time.

Sources

Women’s Tennis Association

BBC

WJCL News