Serena Williams coy about tennis comeback but indications point to a return

The legendary Serena Williams last played a competitive tennis match when she was knocked out of the 2022 US Open’s third round. Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović beat Williams to bring down the curtain on the American’s decorated tennis career. Or so it seemed.

Since late 2025, the rumour mill has swirled with reports from around the world that Williams is strongly considering a return to top-flight tennis after a hiatus of almost four years.

What triggered the widespread reports of the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner’s comeback was the appearance of her name on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) anti-doping testing pool list.

Imminent Williams comeback?

It appears that Williams’s proposed return is now a matter of where and how, as opposed to if she is indeed making a comeback. Unless she pulls the plug herself.

A number of current and former players have commented on how invasive ITIA’s whereabouts protocols are, saying no one without any intention to compete on the tennis circuit would voluntarily subject themselves to the process just for the sake of it.

“It’s a huge hassle. The players all moan and groan about it […] and if you miss three tests during the course of 12 months, that’s the same as failing a drug test,” retired four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said at the 2026 Australian Open.

“So, no person that doesn’t have intentions to play professional tennis is going to put themselves in that list, especially someone who has as much experience doing it as Serena Williams,” Courier said.

Williams herself initially denied that she will return to tennis, saying in December 2025 on social media: “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”

However, during an appearance on the Today Show in January 2026, Williams was much vaguer. “I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens,” she said.

Williams exited tennis to focus on family

Of course, it’s important to remember that Williams did not explicitly retire from tennis. She merely took a step back to focus on her family. Her first child, Olympia, was born in 2017.

Later that year Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam to become the most successful women tennis player in the Open era. Overall, only Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court (with 24 each) have more singles Grand Slam titles than Williams.

Now 44 years old, Williams is a mother of two. Her second daughter (River) with husband Alexis Ohanian was born in 2023. When she stepped away from the sport in 2022, Williams said in a column in Vogue that she would have preferred to continue playing while also focusing on her family. But as a woman, her options were limited and she had to choose: tennis or family building.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, towards other things that are important to me,” Williams said at the time.

“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,” the tennis great added.

“Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady [who won a Super Bowl at 43 years old] if I had that opportunity. Don’t get me wrong: I love being a woman and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who adored being pregnant and was working until the day I had to report to the hospital.

“A lot of people don’t realise that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I’m turning 41 this month and something’s got to give,” she told Vogue.

The physical demands of WTA

Now it appears Williams is now intent on making a comeback to the platform that helped shape her into the person she currently is. But considering that the 44-year-old’s form prior to her “evolution” away from tennis resembled a rollercoaster ride (punctuated by injuries), should she really return?

Sascha Bajin, who was Williams’s former hitting partner and close confidant at the peak of her powers, expressed excitement at the prospect of her returning to the WTA Tour, whether in singles or doubles. However, he also noted his concerns.

“My concerns? She has been out of competition for a few years now. How is her recovery rate [after gruelling matches]? Do I think she can still play great tennis for 60 minutes? Absolutely she can. Maybe even 90 minutes. But can she do it the next day? Can she do it the day after that?” Bajin said.

“I know that if Serena comes back, she won’t come back just for the sake of it, just for fun. She does nothing just for fun. She’s uber competitive.

“I hope she’s not feeling false confidence right now, and I hope she has good people around her that can protect her from herself if there is a need,” the tennis coach said.

ITIA requires returnees to occupy its whereabouts list for six months before they can step on court competitively. After being on the ITIA list since last year, Williams is eligible for a return from 22 February. DM