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Jun 30, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Serena Williams of the United States leaves the court after losing her match against Maya Joint of Australia on day two at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has achieved everything there was to achieve in Tennis. But her kids had never seen her play at the highest level.
On Sunday, June 7, before her return to doubles at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, Serena Williams explained her motivation to return to professional tennis.
"For me right now, there are so many elements," Williams said in a press conference ahead of the HSBC Championships. "It’s really about the kids seeing me play. Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. It’s components like that."
"An athlete is the best thing you can be, in the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting," Williams added during the press conference, shared by WTA.
Williams made her return at Queen’s Club on June 9 and has played several matches since.
Early Results: Mixed Fortunes at Queen's Club and Berlin
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Jun 30, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Serena Williams (USA) serves against Maya Joint (AUS) (not pictured) on day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Williams first partnered up with Canadian Victoria Mboko in the first round of the HSBC Championships. They defeated American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe 7-6, 6-2.
But Mboko injured her left knee while playing a singles match against Karolína Plíšková at Queen's Club, which ended Williams' Queen's Club journey. She then chose World No. 9 Karolína Muchová to play doubles at the Berlin Open, per WTA.
This time around, Williams tasted defeat, as the two were defeated by Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos 6-4, 6-4 on June 16.
But this certainly wasn't the last show for the legend, as she also accepted wild-card entries in singles and doubles at Wimbledon, partnering with her sister, Venus Williams.
"I thought not every day Wimbledon holds a wild card for someone," Williams said to the press on Sunday. "I can name probably like a handful of people. I happened to be one of those people. I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I'll ever make it here again. This could be it."
On June 30, Serena faced Maya Joint in singles, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Next, she will play doubles with Venus against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the first round.
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Written by
Dhruv Singh
Edited by
Koushik Biswas