The last time the world saw Serena Williams on a tennis court, she was walking off Arthur Ashe Stadium in tears. It was a farewell so cinematic it felt carved in stone, but Serena never actually said goodbye. She “evolved away from tennis,” a phrase just vague enough to keep a door open that was never fully closed.

Now that the door appears to be swinging wide. After teases, denials, and quiet re-entry into anti-doping testing, word is Serena actively submitting wildcard requests to return on a surface where she has an 87% win-loss record.

“I have heard there have been multiple wildcard requests for grass court season,” said Jon Wertheim on the Served Podcast with Andy Roddick.

When asked whether tournament organizers were approaching her with offers or if she was personally requesting entries, Wertheim replied: “She is putting in the requests.”

The speculation surrounding Serena intensified after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that Williams had re-entered the tennis anti-doping testing pool. The system requires players to provide their whereabouts every day of the year and also remain available for random testing.

Given the commitment and logistics involved, only active professional players usually re-enroll themselves in the anti-doping testing pool. Serena, who has not competed since August, 2022, became eligible to officially return earlier this year, which immediately reignited hopes of a grass-court comeback among fans.

“Whatever it is, it is. Maybe it’s not anything that is going to pan out. But it does look like she will be playing the grass season. What I have heard is that she will be playing at Queen’s Club doubles with Victoria Mboko,” Wertheim added.

If Serena does decide to return, obtaining a wildcard in SW19 or at Queens would likely not become a problem, as the LTA generally has full discretion to award wildcards to former World No. 1 players and Grand Slam champions, especially when those appearances can significantly increase attention and prestige for the event. And for Queen’s Club, few names in tennis history could bring more global attention than Serena Williams.

Although the rumored Serena-Mboko partnership has raised eyebrows because Serena has never publicly spoken much about Mboko or shared any visible connection with her on tour. However, their partnership could prove to be successful given the performances Mboko has shown in her career so far.

Why Victoria Mboko could be the right partner for Serena Williams’ doubles comeback

A question that remains amid the Serena Williams’ comeback buzz is, why have Victoria Mboko as a partner? Although the answer isn’t surprising.

The Canadian has rapidly climbed through the WTA rankings and is currently sitting inside the world’s top 10. The 19-year-old had a breakthrough moment last August when she won her home event by defeating Naomi Osaka, after initially entering the tournament with a wildcard. She made the second round of Wimbledon as a lucky loser during her professional grass-court debut last year.

In fact, we think she’s been leaving breadcrumbs all over. Earlier this year, in February, Mboko conveniently commented on Williams’ potential return.

“Yeah, I’ve been seeing it around my social media where it says she’s coming back. I feel like it’s never really confirmed until she says it’s confirmed. That would be pretty cool for the sport. She’s a legend. She’s such a household name.” Mboko told Tennis Gazzette. “I mean, if I were to ever play her, that would be a really great experience, and that would be really fun.”

Mboko is already listed for this year’s Queen’s Club event in London and also made the second round of Wimbledon as a lucky loser during her professional grass-court debut last year, showing her comfort on the surface despite limited experience at the time. Since that Wimbledon run, Mboko has continued improving rapidly, having won titles in Montreal and Hong Kong last year, and also reaching finals in Adelaide Internationals and Doha earlier this season.

Still, despite all the rumors and growing signs, Serena’s return remains purely speculative for now. Yet amid this, the idea of Serena and Venus reuniting for another doubles run naturally remains emotional for tennis fans because of their legendary history together.

If we take the grass court only, the Williams sisters won six Wimbledon women’s doubles titles together during their careers. Even more remarkably, they finished with a perfect 6-0 record in SW19 doubles finals, making them one of the most dominant pairings in tennis history.

A reunion with Venus would also arrive at an interesting moment since Venus recently withdrew from the Roland Garros doubles event after her partner, Hailey Baptiste, suffered an injury, which immediately fueled further speculation among fans.

At the moment, everything remains speculative because no tournament has officially confirmed Serena’s participation. Yet the growing number of reports and behind-the-scenes rumors continues to strengthen the belief that a comeback may truly be close.

And as the grass-court season moves forward, tennis fans around the world may soon witness one of the sport’s biggest icons stepping back onto the court once again.