Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon after 2022 retirement

TennisSerena Williams returns to Wimbledon after 2022 retirementThe 23-time major champion returned to the WTA tour earlier this month, competing in a grass-court doubles tournament with Victoria Mboko.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleSerena Williams returns 4 years after hanging up her racket02:26Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 30, 2026, 9:35 AM EDTBy Amina KilpatrickSerena Williams is returning to the singles court Tuesday, following her move away from tennis in 2022. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The 23-time major champion made her official comeback to the tour earlier this month, joining Canadian Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships for doubles. After winning the first round, they exited in the second after Mboko was injured. In addition to receiving a wild-card entry for the singles draw, Williams will be partnering with Venus Williams, her older sister, for doubles through an invitation at Wimbledon. The pair have a total of 14 major doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon.Her sister has continued her time on the WTA Tour, reaching the quarterfinals in doubles at the 2025 U.S. Open, partnering with Leylah Fernandez.Serena Williams is competing against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the singles draw. Joint is currently ranked No. 87 and is looking to make it past the first round at Wimbledon for the first time against the seven-time former champion. Williams last won Wimbledon in 2016 and holds an overall 98-14 record, but lost in the first round at her last appearance in 2022. In stepping back four years, Williams didn’t say she was retiring, instead saying she was “evolving away” from the sport. “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution,” she said in a 2022 Vogue essay. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”Since then, Williams h...