Serena Williams has refused to rule out a comeback, less than two months after she unequivocally denied a return to tennis where she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
In December, Williams’ name appeared in the tennis anti-doping testing pool, a prerequisite for returning to the sport, raising the possibility of her competing again.
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Rejoining the pool means Williams, 44, will abide by tennis’ whereabouts rules. This requires accepting the possibility of random drug testing and staying somewhere for an hour each day. In response, she wrote on Dec. 3: “OMG I’m not coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
But on Wednesday’s “Today” show, Williams was asked again if she planned to return to the sport she dominated for nearly two decades. This time, she offered a series of noncommittal responses.
“I mean, really? Are you asking that on the Today show? Oh my God,” Williams said, looking around the studio. When asked if that meant the answer was no, she laughed and said: “People are laughing on set right now. It’s distracting. I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now.”
Is this a yes or a no, the interviewer asked. “I don’t know, I just wanted to see what would happen.”
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This is possible for me. “That’s not a possibility.”
She added that she has two children, Alexis Olympia, 8, and Adira River, 3, and recently listed stay-at-home mom and homemaker as her occupation on a form. Asked about re-entering the Test pool, Williams said: “Did I re-enter? I don’t know if I quit. Look, I can’t discuss that,” she said with a laugh.
Told that this would be a good time if Williams wanted to quash the rumors, she said: “If I want to quash the rumors…listen, I want to go to bed.”
A representative for Williams could not immediately be reached for comment.
Previously retired players are eligible to return to the game after spending six months in the Test pool, with Williams’ name appearing on the roster updated on October 6 last year. It means she can return to Roland Garros, her next Grand Slam and the event where she won three singles titles and two doubles titles. The U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament in August also seems perfect for players looking to return, as it has a shorter format and favors singles stars over doubles specialists.
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Williams, who last competed in 2022, avoided using the word “retirement” when announcing she was “stepping away” from the sport, sharing videos of herself practicing on social media. Last year, she said she lost 31 pounds in eight months by taking Zepbound, a GLP-1 drug similar to Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic. She is an ambassador for Ro, a health company that markets and prescribes GLP-1 drugs; Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, sits on the company’s board of directors.
Her sister Venus, 45, has made a comeback in the past year or so, competing in singles and doubles at the U.S. Open and two events at the Australian Open earlier this month. She lost in the first round of both matches but performed well both times. At last summer’s Citi Open in Washington, D.C., she defeated then-world No. 35 Payton Stearns in straight sets in her first match in 16 months.
Venus’ encouraging return, coupled with Serena’s lack of denial about her comeback, also makes it possible for the Williams sisters to play doubles together in New York, which would give them a chance to win a 15th Grand Slam title as a duo.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Sports Business, Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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