The Tamesis
What’s the biggest news from the second week of this year’s riveting French Open? This isn’t a heated argument over phone calls; It wasn’t Frances Tiafoe yelling, “Don’t act like you’re tough – you’re not tough, bro” at his opponent in another argument; it wasn’t the previous media boycott by players in protest of how much they were being paid to play; it wasn’t the ouster of Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and many other top players because of a series of mishaps.
No: The big news today is that tennis legend and 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams has confirmed what some of us already knew or suspected: She is indeed returning to professional tennis after a four-year absence — at least at the prestigious grass-court warm-up event at Wimbledon in Queens, London, where she will play doubles with rising star Victoria Mboko.
“The Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin the next chapter,” Serena, 44, said in a statement earlier today. “Turf has given me some of the most rewarding moments of my career and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Serena’s consideration of a return to the sport itself is no secret: Last year she participated in the mandatory drug testing protocol that all players must undergo, and was technically eligible to compete again in February after six months in the program. She’s been providing subtle and not-so-subtle teasers in recent interviews, ad campaigns, and social media posts.
Of course, for Mboko, it was the stuff of childhood dreams. “She’s my idol,” Mboko said at the French Open press conference, “so this is really cool.”
The Queens Championship begins on June 8th. Williams entered the tournament after applying for a wild card – considering she’s been off the tour for so long, it’s the only way she can play in prestigious tournaments like Queens and, if she’s lucky, any Grand Slam tournament. For a woman who won 73 singles titles and earned $95 (excluding commercial endorsements) during her storied early career, getting a wild card didn’t seem to be any problem.
We – as well as the rest of the tennis world, and the legions of fans Serena brings in from outside the sport – will be eagerly watching her progress.
