Inside Serena Williams' return to tennis

Inside Serena Williams' return to tennis12mD'Arcy MaineSerena Williams will play singles at Wimbledon for the first time in four years. Robert Prange/Getty ImagesD'Arcy MaineMultiple AuthorsJun 28, 2026, 07:48 PM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBY THE TIME the clay-court season had started, almost everyone in tennis had heard the growing rumblings.It had begun months earlier, but as the winter turned to spring and the tour made its way to Europe, the speculation gradually turned from a tantalizing-but-unlikely idea to what seemed like a foregone conclusion.

On June 1, it became official.Serena Williams -- the 23-time major champion and arguably the greatest woman to ever play the sport -- was coming back.Now, after playing doubles matches at the HSBC Championships and Berlin Open, Williams will compete in her first singles match in nearly four years Tuesday at Wimbledon, taking on No.

53-ranked Maya Joint. Williams, who will also play doubles alongside her sister Venus, has indicated she will be playing competitively throughout the summer.Though Williams, now a mother of two, returned to the court just over a week after making her announcement and is competing at a major just weeks later, her comeback is anything but rushed.

Behind the scenes, Williams and her team have been working tirelessly for months to prepare for this moment.Her dominant serve and powerful hitting remain, as does her unparalleled aura, but things are different this time around. Though she already has one of the most accomplished résumés in tennis history, her team, which includes coaches Jarmere Jenkins and Rennae Stubbs, has shifted its priorities to adapt to the latest iteration of Serena Williams."

She loves this sport, loves to compete and as long as she is happy doing this -- and she is -- her team will be here with her and for her," Stubbs told ESPN. "The most important thing I and any of her team have said is, 'As long as she is enjoying it, that's all we care about.' That is the focus for her too.

She doesn't have to prove anything."I would say the only difference in this comeback is how much she is enjoying all of the process," she added, "because none of this is easy at 44 and with all her other responsibilities, especially being there for her kids. She is a very present mom, and it is amazing to watch her do it all.

She is a great example that women truly can do everything."play0:38Venus Williams ready for 'very special' Wimbledon return with SerenaTHE SPECULATION STARTED on Dec. 2 of last year after it was discovered that Williams had quietly reentered the International Tennis Integrity Agency's registered testing pool.

The news spread quickly, but Williams shut the rumors down immediately."Omg yall I'm NOT coming back," Williams posted on X just hours after the first report. "This wildfire is crazy."

Her denial did little to stop the interest. Many openly wondered why someone would subject themselves to the rigid protocol -- which involves providing whereabouts for an hour of every day of the year and undergoing random drug tests -- if they had no intention of playing again. (Williams insisted at a news conference this month that she had no plans to come back in December.

"I definitely was not," she said.)Williams only fueled the buzz with an appearance on "Today" on Jan. 28.

Promoting her partnership with Ro, a telehealth company, and her use of GLP-1 medications, Williams was asked by host Savannah Guthrie if she was returning to professional tennis. What followed was an awkward exchange that lasted over 90 seconds while Guthrie pressed for an answer and Williams remained coy.The two smiled and laughed throughout, with Williams finally ending the conversation by saying, "I can't discuss this."

Three weeks later, on Feb. 19, she posted a video of herself serving to her TikTok account. "I have not done this since September 2023," she wrote.

Three days later, she had officially been reinstated after clearing the six-month ITIA return protocol and was eligible to play tour-level events again.It was also in February that Williams called Stubbs to see "what she was up to." The two had maintained a friendship since Stubbs had coached her during her farewell run in 2022, and Williams told reporters Stubbs had always been "there to motivate me in case I did want to try it again."

Williams wanted to know if Stubbs would come down to Florida and work with her on the practice court.Stubbs didn't hesitate."I mean, when Serena calls you to be a part of her team again, I was more than happy to help and be there as a coach and friend," Stubbs told ESPN.

Stubbs, a former world No. 1 in doubles and a six-time major doubles champion, made multiple trips, for a week at a time, in March and April. Stubbs said she was immediately impressed by Williams' work ethic, ball striking and "willingness to put herself out there and compete again."

And, "What people don't realize about Serena is, she is fun to be around," Stubbs added.Williams was also j