Serena Williams is arguably the greatest woman to ever play professional tennis, and she secured 39 Grand Slam titles across women’s singles, women’s doubles, and even mixed doubles tournaments between 1999 and 2017. After not competing for four years, the American phenom has made her return with a new playing style.

Serena’s 2022 “Retirement”

Until this summer, most tennis fans naturally considered the 2022 US Open to be Williams’ last. She played doubles with her sister Venus for the first time since 2018, adding to the theory that Flushing Meadows would be the site of Serena’s retirement. The pair lost to Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova in the first round 7–6 (5), 6–4.

Serena then won her opening round women’s singles match against Danka Kovinic in straight sets (6-3, 6-3). A massive post-match tribute to the WTA star then took place, including a video narrated by Oprah Winfrey and an interview conducted by Gayle King. There were also a wide range of athletes, artists, and political figures present, including Tiger Woods, Spike Lee, and Eric Adams.

In the second round, Serena showed her signature dominance by upsetting current WTA No. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7–6 (4), 2–6, 6–2. In the third round, Williams finally met her match in Ajla Tomljanovic. They battled in three fierce sets before the Australian player prevailed 7–5, 6–7(4), 6–1. Instead of formally retiring, Serena penned an essay for Vogue magazine in which she said she was “evolving away from tennis.”

Doubles Return at the Queen’s Club

After four years away from competition, Williams made her return to women’s doubles alongside rising star Victoria Mboko at the 2026 Queen’s Club Championship. The pair defeated third-seeded Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6, 6-2. Williams and her partner made it to the quarterfinal before they had to withdraw due to Mboko's knee injury.

Commentators immediately noticed that the GOAT of women’s tennis had lost little of the power that defined her WTA career. She did not move as fast on the court, but her technique was still sound while her serve remained dominant.

With Mboko injured, Williams decided to pair up with Karolina Muchova for the 2026 Berlin Tennis Open. They received a wildcard but lost in the first round to Erin Routliffe and Guiliana Olmos 6-4, 6-4. Despite the two-set defeat, the 45-year-old player told the press that she felt “more nimble and more sturdy and quicker” than she was in her recent Queen’s match.

Singles Return at Wimbledon

Williams made her long-awaited return to women’s singles when she received a wildcard for Wimbledon 2026. She played against WTA No. 87 Maya Joint in the first round and lost in a heated three-set match (6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3). Serena had a major comeback in the second set but struggled to keep the pace in the third.

Because she could no longer rely on pure athleticism, Williams stood out against Joint through strategic movements and strong footwork. This was still not enough for her to overcome the physical demands of the match. Williams has smartly focused on doubles play ever since, adding that she mainly reentered singles play so that her daughters could watch her compete.

Return of the Williams Sisters

At that same Wimbledon tournament, Serena was awarded a wildcard to play women’s doubles with her sister Venus for the first time since the 2022 US Open. The pair unfortunately had to cancel their first match against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio due to a knee injury Serena sustained in her singles match.

An injury so soon after her return to competition was not a positive sign, but Serena persisted. She and Venus received a wildcard to the Cincinnati Open. They faced Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns and lost in a fierce 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 showdown. At the US Open, the Williams Sisters received another wildcard and again lost in the opening round, this time to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching.

Serena’s on-court chemistry with her sister was clearly there in these two doubles matches, overcoming many concerns that critics had about their combined age. They also continually forced their opponents to make errors through well-placed shots. Still, the Williams sisters were not able to convert several key break opportunities in both matches.

Mixed Doubles Return at the US Open

Serena Williams also made a thrilling comeback to mixed doubles at the 2026 US Open. This was her least successful format, but she nevertheless won two Grand Slam titles playing with Max Mirnyi in 1998. Nearly thirty years later, she was partnered with freshly recovered Carlos Alcaraz, and they received a wildcard.

Williams and Alcaraz won their opening round match against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets (5-3, 4-1). However, the pair lost their quarterfinal match against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4, 4-1. In both matches, Serena showed great technique and power. One reporter even said she “hit some vintage shots that looked straight out of her prime.”

Serena’s Future Plans

At the Forbes Power Women's Summit in early September, Williams clarified that her competitive return is “nothing long-term. It's more or less having a lot of fun. I think we as women are expected to wear several hats and not complain about it, and I feel like owning that message and owning that moment, and then I have two girls, and showing my girls that they can do that, too.”