Serena Williams Returns to Competition: A Comeback Story

Serena Williams has never done quiet comebacks.

At 44, four years removed from the grind of week‑to‑week competition, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is back on court and already talking about the one thing everyone really wants to know: singles.

“I probably will play again. I have to,” she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday, explaining that this return is about more than nostalgia. It’s about Olympia and Adira, the two daughters watching their mother rewrite the rules of what’s possible. “Anything is possible,” she said, framing this latest chapter as a living lesson for them.

Her road back has not been smooth. Williams dipped her toes into competition earlier this year in doubles, then stepped into the glare of Wimbledon for her first singles match of the comeback, a three‑set loss to 20-year-old Maya Joint. The scoreline mattered less than the sight of her back on a singles court, but the price was steep.

“I injured myself at Wimbledon. And I just didn't have time to recover, unfortunately,” she told interviewer Malika Andrews. The decision that followed was classic Serena: ruthless honesty with herself, and respect for the sport. “I just didn't want to take any opportunities away from someone in terms of getting a wild card if I wasn't able to compete at a way that I knew I could.”

The competitive fire, though, has clearly survived the layoff. As she reflected on those flashes of vintage returning in London, the door to singles swung open again. “After some of those returns, I think I need to play at least once,” she said, leaving little doubt that, once fully healthy, she intends to give it another proper go.

US Open Participation

In the meantime, New York has offered a different kind of stage.

At this year’s US Open, Williams stepped into the revamped mixed doubles event alongside Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, answering his request to share the court. The pairing drew huge attention and delivered early, as they won their opening match before bowing out in the quarterfinals to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.

There is still more business to handle in Flushing Meadows. The Williams name returns to the women’s doubles draw, where Serena and her sister Venus have so often imposed themselves on the sport. The sisters played together earlier this month in Cincinnati, their first match as a team since 2022, and lost in the opening round. Tournament directors in New York responded with a wild card, an invitation that feels as much like recognition as opportunity.

They will open their US Open campaign later this week, another night under the lights for two players who helped define them. Singles can wait a little longer. For now, Serena Williams is back in the arena, and she still sounds like someone who believes the story isn’t finished yet.