How to watch Serena Williams' return at the HSBC Championships
Serena Williams' return to professional tennis is nearly here.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is set to compete at next week's HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club in London, marking her first tournament appearance since the 2022 US Open.
Williams is entered in the doubles draw at the WTA 500 grass-court event, one of the highlights of the summer season and one of the sport's most historic tournaments.
Here's everything you need to know about her return to the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
When is Serena Williams playing?
The HSBC Championships will be held June 8-14 at The Queen's Club in London.
Williams is entered in the doubles competition. The doubles draw and order of play will determine the exact date and time of her opening match, with first-round doubles action scheduled during the opening days of the tournament.
Fans can follow wtatennis.com throughout the week for draw information, match schedules and updates.
How to watch
United States: Tennis Channel coverage schedule (EST)
Fans in the United States can watch Williams' return at the HSBC Championships on Tennis Channel, with live coverage of the tournament available throughout the week.
The full Tennis Channel schedule can be found here.
Williams' return at the HSBC Championships will be broadcast throughout the week in the United Kingdom on BBC platforms. Early-round coverage airs daily on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time, with semifinal and final coverage moving to BBC One.
United Kingdom: BBC coverage schedule (BST)
Monday, June 8: BBC Two and iPlayer, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 9: BBC Two and iPlayer, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10: BBC Two and iPlayer, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday, June 11: BBC Two and iPlayer, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Friday, June 12: BBC Two and iPlayer, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday, June 13: BBC One and iPlayer, 1:25 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (Semifinals)
Sunday, June 14: BBC One and iPlayer, 1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m. (Final)
The full BBC schedule can be found here.
Watch by region
Viewers outside the United States and United Kingdom can check local listings for the WTA's international broadcast partners. Match schedules, scores and daily order of play will also be available on wtatennis.com and the WTA app.
The doubles draw and daily order of play will determine when Williams takes the court. First-round doubles matches are scheduled during the opening days of the tournament, with match times expected to be announced after the draw is released.
For a breakdown of how to watch Serena's comeback by region, go here and select your location.
Why Queen's?
The HSBC Championships is one of the most historic venues in tennis and one of the marquee events of the grass-court season.
This year's field features many of the WTA Tour's top players, but much of the attention will center on Williams as she prepares to compete in her first professional match since 2022.
For Williams, it represents a return to a surface where she enjoyed some of the greatest success of her career.
Serena's doubles legacy
While Williams' accomplishments in singles are well documented, she also owns one of the most decorated doubles resumes in tennis history, including 23 titles overall.
Alongside sister Venus Williams, Serena won 14 Grand Slam women's doubles trophies and completed a Career Grand Slam as a team. Six of those major doubles titles came at Wimbledon.
The sisters also won three Olympic gold medals in doubles and each spent eight weeks ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles.
Grass has long been one of Williams' most successful surfaces. In addition to her doubles success, she won seven Wimbledon singles titles and compiled one of the strongest grass-court records of the Open Era.
A return nearly four years in the making
Williams has not played a professional match since the 2022 US Open, where she reached the third round before falling to Ajla Tomljanovic.
That run in New York drew global attention as fans packed stadiums and tuned in around the world to watch what many believed would be the final chapter of one of tennis' most celebrated careers.
Now, nearly four years later, Williams is set to step back onto the court once again.
Whether it's for longtime fans who followed her career from the beginning or a new generation seeing her compete for the first time, Queen's will provide the first opportunity to watch Serena Williams back in tournament action.