Serena Williams is keeping the door open for a return to singles competition as she prepares to play her first professional tennis tournament in nearly four years.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is making her comeback this week in the doubles draw at Queen’s Club in west London. Williams is partnering with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, but she indicated during a news conference that her ultimate goals might stretch beyond doubles. Williams has not played competitively since the 2022 U.S. Open.

Williams said she intends to train more and hopes to play singles down the line, though she is taking things one step at a time. The 44-year-old noted that she missed the atmosphere of the game and wants to experience the sport in a new way with her family. Her youngest daughter is 2 years old and has never seen her mother play professional tennis.

As a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion who spent 319 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world, Williams explained that she does not feel pressure to prove anything. She noted that she has won more than most people win in a lifetime, meaning everything from this point forward is simply a bonus.

Williams began practicing on the grass courts last week after re-entering the anti-doping testing program late last year. She became eligible to compete again in February.

When Williams stepped away from tennis in 2022, she chose to call the decision an evolution away from the sport rather than a retirement. Her return takes place at a historic venue, as women's professional tennis returned to Queen’s Club in 2025 for the first time since 1973.

The partnership is a massive opportunity for Mboko, who is rising through the WTA Tour rankings. Mboko revealed that Williams reached out to her directly during a tournament in France, inviting her to play doubles. Mboko grew up watching Williams on television and considered her a childhood idol.