US tennis giant Serena Williams confirmed on Monday that she will return to the sport, after it became known that she would compete in doubles at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club next week.
"Guess everybody heard the news," she wrote in an Instagram video post, which showed her walking on the court, racket in hand.
Williams won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017. She has not competed in tennis since the 2022 US Open. Since then, she gave birth to two daughters.
The tennis legend never actually used the word 'retirement' when she stepped away from tennis, saying instead that she would be "evolving away" from the sport.
Speculation around Williams' return to tennis was fueled by her re-entry in December into the anti-doping program, which is a prerequisite to play on the tour again.
