Tennis legend Serena Williams announces comeback

Tennis legend Serena Williams has announced that she will be returning to the sport later this month.

The 44-year-old is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 23 Grand Slam events.

Williams confirmed that she will play women's doubles at London's Queen's Club next week.

It will be the first time in nearly four years that she will make her return to competitive action.

Rumours that Williams might be staging a comeback started last year, but the player denied she was returning to the sport.

However, on Monday, she shared a video on social media of her walking on to a tennis court with the caption: "Guess everybody heard the news", alongside a post which said: "Good news travels fast."

Williams has been granted a wildcard for Queen's Club, which starts next week, and will play alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in the women's doubles.

It will be her first competitive match since the 2022 US Open tournament.

Williams explained: "Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter.

"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."

In her 27-year career, Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles - the most by a woman in the Open era - and second-highest of all time in the women's game.

She spent more than six years at the top of the world rankings and won 73 singles titles on the WTA Tour.

In addition, she was also known for playing doubles with her older sister, Venus.

Together the pair won 14 Grand Slam titles.

Williams also won three Olympic doubles gold medals, as well as individual gold from the London 2012 games.