Serena Williams is carrying something heavier than a racket as she makes her way back onto a tennis court. The reasons at 44 are unrelated to records or rankings.

Williams discussed what is motivating her to return to professional tennis after a nearly four-year hiatus in an interview with BBC reporters at Queen's Club on Sunday.

"For me right now, there are so many elements, you know. It's really about the kids seeing me play," she said. "Olympia is a little bit older, and Adira is very young. Its components are like that."

Ajla Tomljanovic defeated Williams in three sets in a third-round match at the 2022 US Open, where Williams last competed professionally. She described her departure from the sport as "evolving away" rather than retiring.

She had two daughters, Olympia, who is now eight, and Adira, who is two, after the peak years of her career, which resulted in 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

The same BBC conversation also revealed a second, quieter motivation. Williams acknowledged that, even at 44, she is still drawn to competitive sports despite being a mother.

"It's also 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. And so there is a little bit of that too."

Williams has agreed to compete in the 2026 HSBC Championships at Queen's Club as a wildcard doubles partner with world No. 9 Victoria Mboko. A doubles appearance at the Berlin Tennis Open follows shortly after.

On the grass, that return is already beginning to take shape, and it is worthwhile to examine the specifics of how it is developing.

Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko Face Tough Opener at Queen's Club

Williams and Mboko received a main-draw doubles wildcard at the WTA 500 grass-court event after Williams announced her return on social media on Monday.

On Thursday, the two practiced together for the first time at Queen's Club. Mboko, 19, later posted on Instagram to mark the occasion.

However, their first-round draw does not provide a soft start. Williams and Mboko will take on No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, who are both Grand Slam champions and top-15 doubles players.

"The Queen is back. An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week. Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special," Mboko posted.

Their first-round draw, however, offers no gentle introduction. Williams and Mboko face No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, both top-15 doubles players and Grand Slam champions in the discipline.

What do you think about Serena’s reason for coming back? Comment below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta