Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts as she holds up the trophy after winning the women's singles final against Garbine Muguruza of Spain, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, July 11, 2015
SERENA WILLIAMS has rubbished speculation she is contemplating an astonishing comeback to tennis despite re-entering the sport’s drug testing pool.
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 PA the 23-time grand slam singles champion reregistered 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.”
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.
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