Serena Williams is set to make her return to the WTA Tour.
On Monday afternoon, the Queen’s Club Championships announced Serena’s return to the event.
Serena, who is set to compete in the women’s doubles event alongside Victoria Mboko, last played a professional match at the 2022 US Open.
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“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Serena said, as reported by the Lawn Tennis Association.
“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.”
Serena first made her WTA debut 32 years ago at the Quebec City Open.
Serena Williams said she played like an ‘amateur’ after losing on her WTA debut
In 1995, Serena Williams contested her first match at the WTA level.
Serena, who was only 14 years old, participated in the qualifying rounds for the 1995 Quebec Open in Canada.
The youngster’s dreams of a positive run at the event were quickly snuffed out by compatriot Annie Miller.
Miller, the world number 149, defeated Serena 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of qualifying.
“I didn’t play like I meant to play,” Serena said after the match, as per tennis.com. “I played kind of like an amateur.”
“She has as much power as anybody around,” Miller said of Serena’s game. “But maybe she needs to play some junior events the way Anna Kournikova has, to learn how to become match tough.”
In 2019, Serena reflected on her performance in the Canadian city.
“All I remember is that I was incredibly nervous,” she said.
“I couldn’t believe I was playing. I just couldn’t deal with the nerves. It was a lot for me.
“I just needed to go home and get a lot better, and then when I came back, I was more ready to be able to play on the professional circuit.”
Two years after her WTA debut, Serena made her second tournament appearance.
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Serena Williams’ run at the 1997 Ameritech Cup Chicago
Serena made her return to the Tour in 1997, when she was only 15 years old.
The youngster defeated Magui Serna in the final round of Kremlin Cup qualifying to reach the main draw of a WTA event for the first time.
Unfortunately for Serena, she could not secure her first main draw victory.
The teenager was defeated in the first round of the main draw by compatriot Kimberly Po, 6-3, 7-6.
Later that year, Serena secured her first main draw victories at the Ameritech Cup Chicago.
Serena, ranked 304th on the Tour, upset world number seven Mary Pierce and world number four Monica Seles on her way to the semi-finals.
By beating Seles and Pierce, Serena became the lowest-ranked player in the Open Era to defeat two top-10 opponents in one tournament.
Serena was ultimately defeated in the semi-finals by world number five Lindsay Davenport.
