Serena Williams is returning to tennis, ending months of speculation after her name showed up in tennis’ anti-doping testing pool, a precursor to competing again on the WTA Tour. Williams will play doubles next week in the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club in England, a top-tier grass-court warmup before Wimbledon. She had retired after the 2022 U.S. Open.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement.
Williams, 44, has not played a match in almost four years but continues to be one of the biggest stars in tennis and has maintained a deep roster of sponsors worth eight figures per year.
Recent new partners have over-indexed in the health sector after the birth of her two daughters. They include glucose sensor Lingo and supplement brand Ritual. Last year, Ro signed the 23-time Grand Slam champion to promote its weight-loss drugs. Williams said she used GLP-1 treatment after having kids, and her Ro commercials have been on heavy rotation, including a 2026 Super Bowl ad.
Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and is on its board of directors. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is monitoring whether or not GLP-1s will be considered as performance-enhancing.
