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Venus Williams on sister Serena's 'crazy' return to tennis at Queen's this summer ahead of likely sensational Wimbledon comeback

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Venus Williams says she was as shocked as everyone else when it was revealed that sister Serena was returning to competitive tennis at Queen's this summer, playing doubles with Victoria Mboko.

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Williams last played competitively at the US Open in 2022, making it to the third round. But four years later, she is set to return to the grass courts at Queen’s Club.

And it sounds very much like her sensational return was as much of a surprise to her sister as to most fans.

Unlike Serena, Venus Williams has never retired from the sport and still plays competitively at the age of 45, having entered seven tournaments this year. She did not compete at Roland-Garros this year but did take part in the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia.

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Speaking to TNT Sports, Venus claimed she has not kept tabs on her sister’s form of late.

”I think that she hits every now and again, I never see her on the court that often, so I’m not sure when she’s been practising honestly,” Venus said.

”I’m honest, I don’t know how her form is, but I will tell you she could not hit for four months. I’ll be hitting and she’ll come out, grab her racquet and running shoes, and just hits a ton out the ball without ever hitting.

”Like, it’s incredible, so the quality of her stroke is obviously there. She’s, I think, a little bit of a natural, she’s got a pretty good record, she knows what she’s doing and she’s very tenacious, so I’m not worried about how she’s going to play - even though I haven’t seen her play, which is crazy.”

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Williams is scheduled to play doubles at Queen’s, partnering Mboko, who has risen to world No. 9 after making it to three finals this season.

It is a blockbuster partnership, with Williams no stranger to the doubles court, having played that format with her sister across many seasons.

Indeed, Williams has 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all of which she won alongside Venus. She also won two mixed doubles Grand Slams with Max Mirnyi.

As such, it makes sense for Williams to return after four years out by playing doubles rather than singles - with her longer-term plans remaining closely guarded for now.

Venus was asked whether her sister approached her a number of months ago to discuss her return - with Serena having to re-enter the anti-doping testing pool six months before she could take to the court.

”No, it didn’t happen like that, I think it was more me bullying her to come [back] - no, not at all, not at all,” Venus joked.

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Venus herself took a break from the sport, not playing between Miami in March 2024 and Washington in July 2025.

But she never announced her plans nor implied a retirement - unlike her sister. That said, Serena never used the word ”retiring” when she bowed out in New York in 2022, instead stating she was ”evolving” away from the sport.

Since then, Williams has welcomed a second daughter but has now decided the time is right to make a return and her sister is not the only person keen to see how she gets on.

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