Inside Serena Williams' Private World as She Plots Tennis Comeback

Serena Williams Tells Oprah Winfrey Why She Initially Thought Weight Loss Shots Were a “Shortcut”

 Serena Williams got busy discovering herself again after stepping away from tennis in 2022.

And what she discovered was that she wanted to play more tennis.

On June 1, Serena confirmed she'll be returning to the sport at the Queen's Club Championship in London, which begins June 8. The 44-year-old has accepted a wild card to play doubles at the grass-court Wimbledon tune-up, where she'll partner with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko of Canada.

“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Serena—who shares daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, with husband Alexis Ohanian—said in a statement to The Athletic. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion didn't say whether she was gunning for a spot in Wimbledon's main draw later this month, but we know Serena isn't just coming to play.

Well, so to speak.

But, she explained on Today, “I’m lighter, not physically, but just mentally. I think having more energy, I just feel happier. I can get more things done. I feel better going about my day...Not that I didn’t feel good before, but now, there’s a difference."

So much so that she was contemplating a return to tennis?

"I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now," Serena said. But, she added, putting a little spin on the ball, "I’m just going to see what happens."

As there were when Serena returned to the court in December 2017, three months after giving birth to Olympia and developing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

When Serena won the 2020 ASB Classic in January 2020, she wrote on Instagram that the title was "extra special because it was the first time I got to show my daughter that her mom is a champion."

And she made it to four major finals as a mom, hoping to match Margaret Court's record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but she ultimately came up short.

Ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open, after which she hung up her racket following a third-round loss, Serena shared with Vogue that she'd be "evolving away" from tennis.

"I have never liked the word retirement," she explained. "It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution."

First and foremost, she wanted to turn into a mother of two.

So, she was always thinking about the future. Only, as she soon realized, it was impossible to know what life would be like without tennis.

“No matter how prepared you are to retire, and particularly from doing something every day at such a high level, it’s hard," Serena told PORTER in an interview published Dec. 1. "I really prepped myself the best way I could, but it’s something that’s still a little difficult.”

The best thing was being able to "just put my kids first," she added. "I want to be around my family. I’m cooking every night that I’m home. I’m home 29 nights a month."

But Venus Williams, who's still competing at 45, let it be known she was rooting for her sister to return to the court.