What in the World, What in the World, Can Serena Williams beat younger tennis players?

What in the World

What in the World

Can Serena Williams beat younger tennis players?

3 June 2026

9 minutes

Available for over a year

Serena Williams is making a comeback to tennis at 44 years of age. She is one of the greatest players of all time. She’s won 23 Grand Slam titles - the second highest tally by a woman in the sport’s history. She’s the highest earning female athlete of all time. She was world number one for 319 weeks. And the stats go on and on. Now, she wants to add to them.

Four years after leaving the sport and after giving birth to her second child, the American will play in the doubles at Queen’s Club in London next week - a warm-up tournament on the road to Wimbledon. However, she is attempting something almost no tennis player has done before - returning to the game in their mid-40s and going up against much younger players. How well can she perform?

Ben Rothenberg, a tennis journalist who runs the Bounces podcast, joins us to explain the significance of Serena’s comeback and the challenges she might face.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk

WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6

Presenter: Hannah Gelbart

Producers: William Lee Adams and Adam Chowdhury

Editor: Verity Wilde