Serena Williams has taken the first step needed to return to tennis by registering with the sport’s drug testing agency, a spokesman for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, one of the greatest players in tennis, has not played since bidding farewell to the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, Williams said she didn’t want to use the word “retirement,” instead declaring that she was “evolving” away from tennis.
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It’s unclear when or if Williams will actually play again. Her agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Williams, 44, is one of the greatest stars in all of sports, a dominant talent on the court but still a man who commands attention. This will be a major storyline if she eventually returns to touring.
Bounces first reported her decision to put her name back into the testing pool for ITIA, which oversees anti-doping and anti-corruption efforts.
“She appears on the list and is back in the testing pool,” ITIA spokesman Adrian Bassett wrote to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
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Athletes returning for testing will need to provide information about their whereabouts – details of their location when not participating in official competition and when they can provide a sample. Those who retire from the roster and subsequently return will need to undergo six months of testing before returning to play.
Williams’ sister, Venus, returned to competition in July at the age of 45 after nearly 1 1/2 years away from the tour. She never announced her retirement. At the U.S. Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles in a U.S. Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
As seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus returns to the Washington Open, she talks about hoping Serena will return to the tour with her. They won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a partnership.
“I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make things better is having her here. Like, we always do everything together, so of course I miss her,” Venus said at the time when asked about a social media video showing Serena swinging a racket. “But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let you all know.”
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Howard Fendrich has been a tennis writer for The Associated Press since 2002. Find his story here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
