Serena Williams came out of a four-year absence in June 2026 and has won two matches since. She played Queen’s Club, Wimbledon, Cincinnati and the US Open, almost all of it in doubles, and lost four times. On 10 September 2026 she called the return “nothing long-term”.
Serena Williams Never Formally Retired
She never used the word. Writing in Vogue in August 2022, Williams said she was “evolving away from tennis”, and she has stuck to that phrasing since. It is the reason her 2026 return is not technically an unretirement, and the reason she kept being asked about a comeback for four years.
Her last match of that era was on 2 September 2022: a third-round defeat at the US Open to Ajla Tomljanovic, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1, over three hours and five minutes. She had said she wanted a second child, and her daughter Adira River Ohanian was born in August 2023.
Williams, born on 26 September 1981, holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of the Open era, and 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, every one of them won alongside her sister Venus.
There was one false signal along the way. Her name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s registered testing pool list dated 6 October 2025, which set off comeback reports. She shut them down on social media in December 2025: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back.”
Every Match of the Comeback So Far
Six matches, four tournaments, two wins.
| Tournament | Event and Partner | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HSBC Championships, Queen’s Club, London, June 2026 | Doubles with Victoria Mboko | Beat third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2; withdrew before the quarter-final when Mboko injured a knee |
| Wimbledon, 30 June 2026 | Ladies’ singles, wild card | Lost to Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 on Centre Court |
| Cincinnati Open, 17 August 2026 | Doubles with Venus Williams | Lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns 2-6, 6-1, 8-10 |
| US Open, 26 August 2026 | Mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, wild card | Won the opening round; lost the quarter-final to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli |
| US Open, 4 September 2026 | Women’s doubles with Venus Williams, wild card | Lost to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-7(10-7) |
The closest she came to a signature result was the last one. She and Venus led the deciding match tiebreak 5-0 before Chan and Joint took eight of the next nine points. It was the sisters’ first Grand Slam match together since 2022.
What the Knee Injury Changed
The Wimbledon singles match cost her the rest of the summer’s ambitions. Williams tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set against Joint and still played out three sets; her agent confirmed the injury afterwards, and reports at the time said the knee was swollen enough that she was offered crutches, which she declined.
She then withdrew from the Wimbledon ladies’ doubles she was due to play with Venus. By the US Open she was telling reporters the knee was not ready for the loads of singles, which is why her New York fortnight was doubles only.
Why She Is Not in Singles Draws
Three separate things block it, and only one is about fitness.
- No usable ranking: on the WTA lists dated 31 August 2026 she was No. 1221 in singles and No. 579 in doubles, far outside direct entry to any tour-level singles draw.
- Wild cards are finite: the US Open gave her mixed doubles and women’s doubles wild cards but handed the women’s singles wild card to Sofia Kenin. Williams said she did not want to take an opportunity away from another player.
- The knee: she has entered one singles draw since 2022, at Wimbledon, and was injured inside the first set of it.
Is the Comeback Serious? Her Answers Differ
The two most recent statements point opposite ways. At the Forbes Power Women’s Summit in New York on 10 September 2026, Williams said the return was “nothing long-term. It’s more or less having a lot of fun”, framing it as something to show her daughters, aged 9 and 3.
Six days earlier, ESPN’s Caroline Wozniacki had reported that Williams intended to get fully healthy and ready for singles in 2027. Williams herself has said she will “probably” play singles again without committing to when.
As of 20 September 2026 she has no announced tournament, no singles entry and no stated schedule for the rest of the year. Her 2026 season, as it stands, is four tournaments and a 2-4 match record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Serena Williams Come Out of Retirement?
Not in her own framing. She never formally retired in 2022, describing it instead as evolving away from the sport, and she started competing again in June 2026.
How Many Matches Has She Won Since Returning?
Two. A doubles opener at Queen’s Club in June 2026 and a mixed doubles first round with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open in August 2026.
Why Did She Skip Singles at the 2026 US Open?
She had no ranking high enough for direct entry, the singles wild card went to Sofia Kenin, and she said her right knee could not take singles yet.
What Is Serena Williams Ranked Now?
No. 1221 in singles and No. 579 in doubles, on the WTA lists dated 31 August 2026.
Will She Play Singles Again?
Nothing is entered. ESPN reported in early September 2026 that she was targeting singles in 2027, while Williams herself described the comeback as nothing long-term.
