When she retired at the 2022 US Open, it was only the imagination of the most ardent Serena Williams fans that the American legend would make a comeback on court. However, hope rose among the tennis community when Williams re-entered the Registered Testing Pool, and it seemed a return of the GOAT was imminent. Now that it is official that the 23-time Major champion is making her comeback, let’s take a look at the various stages of her journey, which will potentially become a big part of her comeback narrative.

The comeback saga for Williams began last year at the US Open, when reports surfaced that she might team up with her sister in the doubles event in New York. However, back in 2022, Williams had officially declared herself “retired” with the ITIA, which meant she had to re-enter the testing pool and complete a mandatory six-month period to get back eligibility to play in 2025, which did not come to pass. The American then took a more decisive step, fulfilling the official requirements to return to the RTP list, and her name was reinstated on October 6.

Making this move was no small step for Williams, as she had to comply with the “whereabouts” rule, which required her to inform testing agencies of her location at all times. Should she have missed a random testing window, her comeback would have been delayed, as flouting the whereabouts rule would have been a violation of the anti-doping protocols.

As these events were unfolding, the media gradually got wind of the massive development, and speculation hit an all-time high. However, back then, Williams did not commit to anything. In fact, she tried to douse the raging news by clearly stating that she had no plans to return to the Tour.

That is why when news spread that the GOAT was going to be on an ad at the Super Bowl halftime show, fans and pundits alike were all but sure that a comeback announcement was imminent. However, an interesting plot twist awaited everybody.

Serena Williams’ weight loss announcement surprised everybody

The Super Bowl ad, which was supposed to bring good news, showed Williams endorsing a GLP-1 medication for RO, a telehealth company. This move surprised everyone, even the Williams fans who saw it as a corporate sellout, since Williams had a vested interest in the company and in the role of an ambassador, and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, was a board member.

Williams has been a known champion of body image, as she was subjected to bodyshaming at various instances in her career, because of which the switch to weight-loss medication angered fans.

However, there’s a lot more than what meets the eye in the case of Williams. The American player had openly spoken about using Zepbound, a weight-loss medication, in one of her Vogue interviews in 2025.

The use of the medication was not due to athletic demands but for medical reasons, as the former World No.1 had struggled with her body weight after giving birth to her two daughters, Olympia and Adira.

“It was so hard after I had (my first daughter) Olympia. I was literally on the court every day, doing nothing else,” said Williams last year. “I had been the ultimate super-athlete… but I just could never get back to where I needed to be, no matter what I did.”

Williams clarified that taking up specialized medication was not on impulse, but was a planned move to try new avenues in life.

“My whole life is being in the gym… I would always get to a certain point on the scale, but I could never get below that. That’s when I decided that it was time to try something different and got on the GLP-1 with Ro.”

However, the intriguing part of it all is even though doping agencies such as WADA do not consider the use of GLP medication under the category of “performance enhancing”, but medication like Zepbound (used by Williams) is been tracked and monitored by the authorities since 2024.

Williams has already spoken about the positive effects of the medication she has taken, claiming that her knees were free of pain, which would mean she could move within the court with speed as she gears up for her comeback in June.

The Queen’s return at Queens

The GOAT is all set to make her return to grass as she has officially entered the doubles draw for the Queen’s Club Championships, which is all set to begin on June 8. Current World No. 9, Victoria Mboko, will be partnering with Williams on this momentous occasion.

If one were to hear Williams talk before the event, it would be clear that the Canadian teenager was not chosen at random, but rather because Williams felt she was the best partner with whom she had a chance of winning the title.

Preparations were already underway as Williams and Mboko were spotted on the practice courts in Queens ahead of the tournament.

The American great has already made it clear that returning to grass holds great significance for her, as this surface has seen her win seven Wimbledon titles and clinch her only Olympic singles gold in 2012. One should not be blinded by her legendary singles stats and forget that the 44-year-old also has a stellar doubles record, having won 14 Major titles and clinched Olympic glory three times. It is an astounding fact that the Williams sisters never lost a doubles final at a Grand Slam when they played together.