Serena Williams is considering making a competitive return to tennis at Queen's Club in a fortnight.
The American legend, now 44, stepped away from the sport four years ago following her final appearance at the US Open in New York.
Williams holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles, making her the most successful female player of the Open era and second only to Margaret Court in the all-time rankings.
Rather than competing in singles, discussions are believed to be centred on the doubles draw at the WTA 500 grass court event in London.
The tournament gets underway on Monday, June 8, with Wimbledon following just three weeks later.
No final decision has been reached regarding her participation.
Williams has been eligible to compete since February 22, having spent the required six months back in the anti-doping testing programme.
To take part at Queen's, she would require a wildcard entry, with two spots available for the doubles competition.
Serena Williams is considering a return to tennis
|PA
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One of these wildcards is specifically reserved for a pairing that includes either a former world number one, a major champion from the past decade, or a player currently ranked inside the top 30.
Williams comfortably meets these criteria, given her extraordinary career achievements.
The Served podcast, presented by former world number one Andy Roddick, claimed that Williams would partner 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the west London venue.
Williams' remarkable career includes 14 major women's doubles titles claimed alongside her sister Venus, who continues to compete on the WTA Tour.
Serena Williams would have to enter as a wildcard
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The siblings also secured three Olympic gold medals together in doubles competition.
At Wimbledon, Williams has triumphed on seven occasions in both singles and doubles, cementing her status among the sport's all-time greats.
Her final competitive match came against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open.
The previous year, she had progressed to the last four at the Australian Open, while her most recent Grand Slam singles triumph came in Melbourne in 2017 when she was 35.
Serena Williams has triumphed on seven occasions in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon
|PA
Williams has always resisted using the word retirement, instead describing her departure from tennis in 2022 as "evolving away" from the sport.
The Lawn Tennis Association typically reserves wildcards for British players at domestic events, although officials have suggested flexibility exists.
"There might be exceptional circumstances which might influence a unique wildcard, but otherwise those playing opportunities we want to afford to British players," LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said in April.
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