Amid buzz around Serena Williams’ return, why was Wilson quiet?

A blank racquet and social media silence sparked questions about one of tennis's longest-running partnerships.

This post is a collaboration between Hard Court and Bounces at the intersection of two of our respective interests: tennis sponsorships and Serena Williams’ return to professional tennis.

Image via Serena Williams on Instagram

When Serena Williams posted her official comeback announcement video on June 1st, it was more of a teaser than anything. The Nike-made clip of her buzzing phone interrupting a practice session was only 17 seconds long, with the last five seconds featuring white text and logos on a black screen. That sparsity of detail, though, led us to some light Zaprudering of what few things were on screen.

On closer inspection, one detail jumped out: the racquet Williams was using in the clip looked generic, lacking the iconic stencil “W” of Wilson on its strings which had been a constant in her time on court. Wilson had been Serena’s racquet sponsor since the 1990s, the oldest and most enduring partnership of her decades-long professional career.

In the days that followed, Nike—which first outfitted Serena in 2004—rolled out more videos, a photoshoot, and an out-of-home advertising campaign. Wilson, by contrast, remained conspicuously quiet—not even posting on Instagram to mark the return of one of tennis’s greatest and most commercially valuable players, one who had been a face of their brand for decades. It left an obvious question: was Serena still working with the heritage racquet brand that had been in her hands for almost her entire professional career? Or was she planning to switch to another racquet manufacturer?

Venus and Serena both signed their first racquet contracts with Wilson in the 1990s. In a promotional clip released by Wilson in 2020, Serena described her first memories of using a Wilson racquet, tracing her allegiance back to the 1980s. “I must’ve been, like, 6,” she said. “I was a baby. I’ve always been using Wilson, though.”

After nearly three decades of history-making together, the relationship’s future suddenly looked unclear. So what’s going on between the brand and the superstar? After talking with both sides, a clearer picture emerged.