Serena Williams’ return to tennis excited fans and players alike. The American legend is all set to come back on the Tour, reversing an almost four-year-long break as she gears up for a doubles campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships. The news has spread like wildfire, and even other major athletes can’t keep calm.

The comeback was speculated after William’s move to re-enter the testing pool under anti-doping protocols last year. Even though Williams herself remained coy and did not commit to any official announcement, former ATP World No.1 Andy Roddick was quite certain that a comeback was on the cards, as re-entering the testing pool would mean subjecting oneself to random and unannounced drug testing. This was something no player would sign up for if a comeback had not been on the cards.

The guesses were right: on June 1, the Queen’s Club Championships officially announced that Williams had received a wildcard for the doubles draw at the grass-court event and will be making her much-awaited comeback alongside current World No. 9, Victoria Mboko. The American legend herself took to social media and posted a video alongside Nike, announcing her comeback, which sent the tennis world into a frenzy. Williams herself was excited about the prospect of returning to grass, as she has eight career titles on the surface, seven of which came at Wimbledon, and the other was the Olympic gold in 2012.

However, in her four-year hiatus, Williams was always on the move. The American icon welcomed her second daughter, Adira, into their family in 2023 and also pursued significant business ventures, including launching her own makeup line. Williams was never far from the glare of the sports world, hosting the high-profile ESPY Awards in 2024 and, most strikingly, making an electrifying cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show last year. She also endorsed weight-reducing medication, even citing her own weight as the reason for not winning more Majors.

It was not only fans but also other top tennis players who were excited about the comeback news, sharing messages of congratulations on social media.

Reactions From Other Tennis Players and Other Sports Celebrities Flood Social Media to Celebrate the Return of Serena Williams

Coco Gauff was one of the first players to post on Instagram, commenting, “Dreams come true”, celebrating the on-court return of Williams. Gauff has publicly praised the Williams sisters several times, noting how the trailblazing sister duo has inspired both on and off the court.

Former ATP Pro Reilly Opelka also took the opportunity to hype her up and commented, “Back on the Grind.”

Andy Roddick, on the other hand, congratulated Williams from his official podcast account and wrote,” Let’s go.”

Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki could not find the words but used two fire and clap emojis to express her excitement about the comeback news.

The fame of Serena Williams extends beyond tennis, as her comeback news also captured the attention of famous skier Lindsey Vonn, who left her own comment on the post: “LFG!!” with two flexed-arm emojis.

Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, was not far away, reacting to the Williams post with a surprised-face emoji.

Back at the French Open, the TNT broadcasting desk was taken aback by the news. ” I’m semi-shocked that she decided to do this at her age after having two kids and what she accomplished”, said John McEnroe. The veteran ATP star went on to say that Williams did not win a Major after returning from motherhood, even though she reached four finals, which could have been the slight motivation for the American legend to make her comeback, and that overall, it was “great for tennis”. On the other hand, Queen’s Club Tournament Director Laura Robson, who was also at the TNT desk, was visibly excited: “It almost does not matter how the results go, I’m just going to have a smile on my face seeing Serena back on a tennis court.”

The WTA is all set to welcome the GOAT on grass in June, and now that the announcement has gone public, fans and pundits alike will be eagerly awaiting the comeback.