Serena Williams has confirmed she is coming out of retirement to make a shock return to tennis at the age of 44.

The American, a 23-time grand slam champion, will play in the doubles at the HSBC Championships at the Queen's Club in London next week, almost four years after her last competitive match.

That is the tournament that traditionally takes place before Wimbledon, opening up the prospect of Williams making a return to the iconic grand slam in London which starts on Monday June 29.

Williams has been granted a wildcard at Queen's and will partner with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who idolised the American as a child.

Queen's Club posted on Monday: 'The Queen returns! Serena Williams is back and set for doubles at the HSBC Championships.'

Williams posted a video showing her on court in a white Nike tennis dress and with her phone exploding with notifications in the background. 'Guess everybody heard the news,' the short clip read.

In a press release, Williams said: '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.'

Williams, who shares daughters Alexis and Adira with husband Alexis Ohanian, has not played a competitive match since she was knocked out in the third round of the US Open in 2022.

At the time, she pointedly avoided using the word retirement, instead saying she was 'evolving away' from tennis. 

But an imminent return has been touted since it was revealed in December she had re-entered tennis' anti-doping programme – a prerequisite to play on the tour again.

When it was revealed last year that Williams had signed up to return to the drug-testing pool, she wrote on social media: 'Omg yall I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.'

Williams, who has also won 14 grand slam doubles titles, has been eligible to play since February but has chosen the British grass-court season to step back on to the match court in what will be one of the biggest sports stories of the year.

Mboko also all but confirmed the news after her second-round win at the French Open last week, saying: 'I'm very happy. Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice, because I really look up to her. The fact that she even knows me, it's very exciting.

'I want to kind of let the moment (be) for her. I feel like, if she's ready to come back on her own terms, then I feel like it's up to her to announce that.'

Asked at the French Open whether the news is good for tennis, Naomi Osaka said: 'I don't really care about tennis. I think it's good for me. I'll be very entertained.

'I think it will bring people to watch tennis, which she always does bring an audience with her. So I think it's good.

'I'm going to be tuned into the first match, for sure. I think a lot of people are. Everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it's going to be cool to see her on the grounds again.'

Coco Gauff is hoping to get the chance to face Serena, saying: 'I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her.

'Everybody has been hearing rumours and stuff. So, if they are true, I guess we'll find out in a couple days based off the rumours. We'll see, but I think it would be cool for this sport to have a legend back playing.'