Serena Williams responds to speculation she is planning shock tennis comeback
Williams bowed out of professional tennis after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round
Serena Williams has rubbished speculation she is contemplating an astonishing comeback to tennis despite re-entering the sport’s drug testing pool.
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Williams bowed out of professional tennis after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round, although she branded her departure as “evolving away” from the sport rather than a retirement.
An International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) spokesperson confirmed to the Press Association the 23-time grand slam singles champion re-registered with its testing body in October, triggering talk of a return.
It is the first step towards possibly playing again although the 44-year-old would have to conform to strict whereabouts testing for a continuous six-month period before any competitive outing.
Such an outcome could see Williams back in action in mid-2026, although she wrote on X on Tuesday night: “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
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Williams, who played her first professional tennis match back in 1995, admitted the major motivation behind initially calling it quits three years ago was her desire to have a second child.
She gave birth to Adira River Ohanian in August 2023, her second daughter having welcomed her first child Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr almost six years earlier with husband Alexis Ohanian.
Williams was in the early stages of pregnancy with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open to move just one grand slam singles title behind the all-time record held by Margaret Court.
She reached four more finals on her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was beaten in straight sets on each occasion.
Williams, who won her first major title in 1999 at the US Open as a 17-year-old, told Vogue in 2022 when she revealed plans to walk away from tennis: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want (Court’s) record.
“The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth.
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary.”