Serena Williams' Tennis Return, 2025
Serena Williams, 44, returned to professional tennis in June 2025 after a nearly four-year absence. Her campaign included a doubles match at Queen's Club and a singles wildcard at Wimbledon, ending in first-round exits at both events.
Doubles Return at Queen's Club
Announcement and Entry
Williams accepted a wildcard into the women's doubles draw of the WTA 500 event at Queen's Club in London, which began June 8, 2025. She partnered with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, 19, who was ranked No. 9 in singles at the time.
Williams announced her participation via a Nike video with the tagline "Guess everybody heard the news." In a statement, she said: "Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter."
Match Result
On June 10, 2025, Williams and Mboko defeated the third-seeded duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. The match took place at the Andy Murray Arena on grass. Williams recorded service winners up to 193 km/h and closed the match with two aces. The win was Williams' 1,051st Tour-level victory across singles and women's doubles.
Williams described her performance as a "C-minus" in a post-match news conference.
Withdrawal and End of Campaign
Williams' doubles campaign ended after one match when Mboko withdrew due to a left knee injury. Mboko sustained the injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the round of 16 on Wednesday, June 11. She retired trailing 6-2, 3-4. The pair were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Subsequent Event
Williams was scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open the following week. According to The Times of London, her partner was to be Karolina Muchova.
Wimbledon Singles Return
Wildcard Entry
Williams accepted a singles wildcard from the All England Club to compete at Wimbledon, which began June 29, 2025. The wildcard was announced the day before the qualifying draw was made. Williams had already been given a doubles wildcard with her sister Venus.
Williams stated she decided to accept the opportunity because "it's not every day Wimbledon holds a wildcard for someone" and that this could be her last chance to play there.
First-Round Match
In the first round, Williams faced Australian qualifier Maya Joint, 20. Joint defeated Williams 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 on Centre Court. The match lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Williams was playing her first Grand Slam match since the 2022 US Open, a gap of 1,397 days. Joint served for the match at 5-3 in the third set and converted her second match point.
Joint said in an on-court interview: "I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this was pretty crazy."
Williams told media before the match: "I thought not every day Wimbledon holds a wild card for someone... I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I'll ever make it here again? This could be it."
Background on Competition Absence
Williams last competed in singles at the 2022 US Open, after which she said she was "evolving away" from tennis. She has not officially retired. Williams holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles (women's open era record) and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including seven Wimbledon singles titles and six Wimbledon doubles titles with her sister Venus.
Context of Return Preparations
Anti-Doping Testing Pool
Reports indicated Williams re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) anti-doping testing pool in fall 2024. Players are required to be in the drug testing pool for a minimum of six months before returning to competition. In December 2024, Williams denied a comeback on social media, stating: "Omg yall I'm NOT coming back."
During a subsequent television appearance, when asked about a return, Williams responded: "I'm just having fun and enjoying my life right now. That's not a yes or a no. I don't know. I'm just going to see what happens."
Training Activity
Reports indicated Williams was observed training with former ATP player Jesse Levine in Florida. World No. 79 Alycia Parks posted a video of training with Williams in March 2025.
GLP-1 Medication Disclosure
In August 2024, Williams stated on Oprah Winfrey's podcast that she had taken Zepbound (tirzepatide), a GLP-1 drug used to treat diabetes and aid weight loss. She said she had struggled to lose weight after two pregnancies through training alone. She manages her treatment through Ro, a telehealth company for which she is a paid ambassador. Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is a major investor in Ro.
GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide and tirzepatide) are not prohibited substances and are not classified as performance-enhancing. They have been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) monitoring program since 2024.