Serena Williams returns to professional tennis while Novak Djokovic continues his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, proving that greatness has no age limit
After stepping away from the game of tennis following the 2022 U.S. Open, tennis legend Serena Williams decided to make her return to professional tennis after almost four years. Over her storied career, Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, bringing her to a total of 39 Grand Slam titles in her career, not to mention the four Olympic gold medals she has won. Though she attempted to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam women’s singles titles for a few years before her retirement, Williams has nothing left to prove and is considered by most people to be the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.
Even with all these accolades to her name, Williams decided she wanted to make a return to tennis, which was a surprise to many people, her sister Venus included. She played her first match back alongside 19-year-old Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships in London. During their opening-round doubles match on June 9, Mboko and Williams were able to upset the third-ranked doubles pair in the tournament, Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, defeating them in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2. Sadly, their run was cut short after Mboko suffered an MCL injury to her left knee while competing in singles at the tournament.
Within a few weeks after Williams’ HSBC Championships appearance, she accepted wildcard spots to compete in the Wimbledon singles and doubles tournaments. She made her return to singles on June 30, where she faced off against 20-year-old Australian player Maya Joint. After losing the first set to Joint by a score of 3-6, Williams regrouped to win the second set by a score of 7-6, winning the tiebreak. During the third and final deciding set, Joint was able to pull away, winning 6-3 and knocking Williams out of the Wimbledon singles tournament in the first round. It was also reported that Williams tweaked her right knee during the match, and she is now questionable to play in the opening round of the doubles tournament with her sister, Venus.
Whether Williams’ return to professional tennis is short-lived or she decides to play in the U.S. Open or other future tournaments, the fact that she is able to compete at the highest level at the age of 44 is incredible nonetheless, alongside her 46-year-old sister.
Another tennis legend who continues to defy the odds, regardless of his age, is 39-year-old Novak Djokovic. The Serbian tennis star holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles of any man in history with 24, currently tying him with the record held by Margaret Court. Even nearing the end of his career, he is still chasing the overall record of 25 Grand Slam singles titles. It is crazy to think that the last Grand Slam title Djokovic won was the 2023 U.S. Open because he has still made it far in pretty much every Grand Slam tournament since then. The only thing standing in his way of Grand Slam No. 25 is players named Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz and Sinner have both dominated the sport of tennis since the beginning of 2024, winning nine of the last 10 Grand Slam titles. During that span, Djokovic has made only two Grand Slam finals, losing to Alcaraz in both the 2024 Wimbledon Final and the 2026 Australian Open Final. He also made it to a Grand Slam semifinal in seven of the last 10 major tournaments. He has been so close to the record over the past few years but has fallen short on several occasions.
During the 2026 Roland Garros tournament, Djokovic was in prime position to be the favorite after Alcaraz withdrew prior to the tournament due to an injury and after Jannik Sinner was upset in the second round. Then, in the third round, Djokovic lost a five-set thriller to 19-year-old Brazilian star Joao Fonseca after having a two-set lead to begin the match. The shocking upset ended his bid at the tournament and led to Alexander Zverev winning his first Grand Slam title instead.
Even though Djokovic is already considered the greatest men’s tennis player of all time, he is still fighting hard to earn a record he has been working toward for years. With Alcaraz out for Wimbledon, the biggest obstacle left in Djokovic's path is Sinner, the reigning Wimbledon champion. As the tournament unfolds, we will see if he has what it takes to win his 25th Grand Slam tournament or if he’ll have to wait another few weeks before having another shot at the U.S. Open.
