Serena Williams Reveals the Biggest Reason Behind her Comeback to Professional Tennis

What could be the reason for Serena Williams‘ return to professional tennis? This has been a question that has intrigued tennis fans since the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion announced her return to tour this month at the Queen’s Club Championships.

Williams, who is 44 years old, is returning after nearly four years, and this return also comes amid her elder sister Venus’ winless streak this year. This raises many questions about older players taking the spots of younger upcoming players in tournaments.

Williams will be partnering with Victoria Mboko for doubles and will play their first round at Queen’s against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. Following Queen’s, Williams is also set to play in Berlin.

Ahead of her Queen’s doubles campaign, Williams has opened up about the real reason behind her comeback in an interview with BBC.

I’ve had enough pressure. It’s really about my kids getting to see me play. It’s also that being an athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place. Having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting. . . I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives. That [winning] is not important to me and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that. I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just to gain.

Williams gave birth to her first child, Olympia, in 2017 and returned to tennis a few months later. She went on to reach four Grand Slam singles finals after her first child’s birth. Williams even won the 2017 Australian Open while she was pregnant with her first daughter. Williams welcomed her second-born, Adira, in 2023, a year after her retirement.

Serena Williams speaks about whether she will play singles

Serena Williams has an incredible record in both singles and doubles. Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles stand as the outright record for the most won by any woman in the Open Era. She also holds the record among women for the most Australian Open singles titles (7) and is tied with Chris Evert‘s record of 6 US Open titles. However, Serena is not focused on singles for now in her return.

I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles and we’ll see if I get there. If not, that’s not my journey right now.

Serena Williams added

Her doubles legacy is defined by an impeccable 14–0 record in Grand Slam finals alongside her sister, Venus. Serena is the only player in tennis history, male or female, to complete the Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. She has won three Olympic gold medals in doubles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Queen’s Club denies wildcard to defending champion

While the Queen’s Club Championships will be welcoming the return of a mother on tour with Serena Williams’ comeback, the LTA is under fire for denying the tournament’s singles defending champion Tatjana Maria a wildcard.

Currently ranked 54th in the world, the German was denied a wildcard, a decision that the player, a mother of two daughters, did not expect. Her husband and coach, Charles-Edouard Maria, also expressed his disappointment, even countering the argument that wildcards are reserved for British players.

It’s really sad. They used her image extensively to promote the return of the women’s tournament, but when it comes to supporting the defending champion, they are not there. This has happened in the past. When Feliciano Lopez won the Queen’s, he received a wildcard. And this year, Serena Williams will receive one in doubles.

Charles-Edouard Maria said (H/T: tennistemple)

Maria had one of the most beautiful title runs last year at Queen’s, when she came through the qualifying rounds to become the oldest woman to win a WTA 500 title, where she defeated Amanda Anisimova in the final. Maria has now played the qualifying round of the tournament this year, where she defeated Yuriko Miyazaki in three sets.

Also Read: Serena Williams Shares New Training Footage Ahead of Comeback at Queen’s Championship