44 years old, and still killing it.
Joining her partner Victoria Mboko, tennis legend Serena Williams made her comeback to the court with a straight-sets doubles win Tuesday, taking down Erin Routliffe and Nicole Milichar-Martinez in an HSBC Championships match.
The last time Williams competed was at the 2022 U.S. Open four years ago. Now, along with Mboko, she’s advancing to the quarterfinals. Playing in front of a sellout crowd, Williams and Mboko shook off a challenging opening set to go on and get a dominating win, 7-6, 6-2. (RELATED: Caitlin Clark Knocks Down Game-Winning Bomb To Give Fever Bananas Last-Second Victory Against Mystics)
The future for Williams still isn’t known, though she has stated that competing in front of her family and having fun is her main focus. During the match Tuesday, Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian and kids Adira and Olympia spectated in the stands.
“I don’t know. I had nothing better to do, I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?” said Williams on the court after the match, per ESPN. “I never got to play here, it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic.”
Absolutely timeless ✨ @serenawilliams and Victoria Mboko defeat No. 3 seeds Routliffe and Melichar-Martinez in Serena’s first match since 2022.
What a moment for tennis 🥹 #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/0YHG2V0Ro7
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 9, 2026
I give Serena her flowers, no doubt, but don’t think I forgot about this woman crip-walking at the Super Bowl.
Serena Williams is facing backlash for Crip walking during the Super Bowl 2025 performance, given that her sister was killed by an alleged SouthSide Crip member pic.twitter.com/FNh6tzUKC7
— 6ixBuzzTV (@6ixbuzztv) February 10, 2025
But props to her for getting a win during Iceman Season.