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The GOAT isn’t finished.
Serena Williams, who amassed 23 major championships and 73 career singles titles before retiring in 2022, is returning to competitive tennis at 44. Williams revealed Monday that she has accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the HSBC Championships in London starting next week.
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“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “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.”
Williams is the most successful women’s tennis player of the sport’s open era. Along with her leading 23 Grand Slam titles — only Margaret Court has more, with 24 — she has won four Olympic gold medals and spent an amazing 319 as the WTA’s top-ranked player. Her singles Grand Slam wins include six at Wimbledon, four at the Australian Open and two each at the U.S. Open and British Open. She also won 14 major doubles titles with her older sister, Venus Williams, and is the only player to record singles and doubles career Grand Slams.
“Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all-time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court,” WTA Chair Valerie Camillo said in a statement. “Her return is an expression of her passion for competition, and I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players.
RELATED: Serena Williams Executive Producing ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ Tennis Drama Series In Works At Netflix
Along with her singular tennis career, Serena Williams has more than two dozen acting credits, often appearing as herself, but also playing characters in such TV series as Law & Order: SVU, ER and My Wife and Kids. She also has produced or exec produced a number of projects including serving as EP of Carrie Soto Is Back, an upcoming Netflix series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling tennis-themed novel.
She also served as an EP on King Richard, the 2021 biopic about her father Richard Williams. Will Smith won his only Best Actor Oscar in the title role, leading to his infamous onstage slap of Chris Rock during the 2022 ceremony. The film earned six total Oscar noms, including Best Picture.
Serena Williams also hosted the 2024 ESPY Awards and has appeared on a huge number talk shows, documentaries and other programs.
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Continue reading...
Serena Williams, who amassed 23 major championships and 73 career singles titles before retiring in 2022, is returning to competitive tennis at 44. Williams revealed Monday that she has accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the HSBC Championships in London starting next week.
More from Deadline
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“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “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.”
Williams is the most successful women’s tennis player of the sport’s open era. Along with her leading 23 Grand Slam titles — only Margaret Court has more, with 24 — she has won four Olympic gold medals and spent an amazing 319 as the WTA’s top-ranked player. Her singles Grand Slam wins include six at Wimbledon, four at the Australian Open and two each at the U.S. Open and British Open. She also won 14 major doubles titles with her older sister, Venus Williams, and is the only player to record singles and doubles career Grand Slams.
“Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all-time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court,” WTA Chair Valerie Camillo said in a statement. “Her return is an expression of her passion for competition, and I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players.
RELATED: Serena Williams Executive Producing ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ Tennis Drama Series In Works At Netflix
Along with her singular tennis career, Serena Williams has more than two dozen acting credits, often appearing as herself, but also playing characters in such TV series as Law & Order: SVU, ER and My Wife and Kids. She also has produced or exec produced a number of projects including serving as EP of Carrie Soto Is Back, an upcoming Netflix series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling tennis-themed novel.
She also served as an EP on King Richard, the 2021 biopic about her father Richard Williams. Will Smith won his only Best Actor Oscar in the title role, leading to his infamous onstage slap of Chris Rock during the 2022 ceremony. The film earned six total Oscar noms, including Best Picture.
Serena Williams also hosted the 2024 ESPY Awards and has appeared on a huge number talk shows, documentaries and other programs.
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