Last December, Serena Williams was certain: she would not return. Six months later, she is entered in doubles at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club, aged 44, with a philosophy that sums up her mindset: "I don't need to win. I've won more than most people have in their whole lives, so it's not that important to me."
The American, who last competed at the 2022 US Open, will partner Victoria Mboko, 19, for her first match on Tuesday against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. An unlikely pairing separated by 25 years, but Williams says she was drawn to the Canadian's "attitude, resilience and drive."
The shift between December and June? "Well, why not? For lack of a better explanation. It's summer, the kids aren't in school, so it's a perfect time," she explains with the ease of a player who has nothing left to prove. "I don't have anything to lose, and everything here is just to gain. This whole journey is like, I'm putting no pressure on myself."
The singles question remains open. Williams is not closing the door: "I can't say no right now. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there. And if not, that's not my journey right now." Words that leave the door ajar, without commitment or promise.
The WTA 500 at Queen's Club also features Jessica Pegula, the singles favorite, and Emma Raducanu, who will carry British hopes in front of her home crowd. The grass-court season officially begins today, with Stuttgart and 's-Hertogenbosch on the ATP side, where Taylor Fritz is the top seed.
