Serena Williams refused to rule out the potential of a return to tennis almost 4 years since she retired from the game in a telling interview.
Serena Williams was grilled over her future and a possible return to tennis (Picture: TODAY)
One of the crucial adorned tennis gamers of all time, Serena Williams, has didn’t rule out the potential of a return to the game within the close to future. The 44-year-old, who gained 23 Grand Slam singles titles, was a shock inclusion within the tennis anti-doping take a look at pool in December 2025, hinting at the potential of a return.
Whereas that opened the door for Williams to compete once more within the close to future, she rapidly moved to disclaim that chance in early December. Taking to X, she mentioned: “Omg y’all I’m NOT coming again. This wildfire is loopy.” Nevertheless, when talking on the TODAY present in America on Wednesday, the previous world primary was far much less convincing within the reply she gave about that includes within the sport once more. Quite than shutting it down, like she had earlier than, Williams refused to say sure or no to the likelihood.
“I imply, actually, are you asking this on the TODAY present? Oh my god,” she mentioned, earlier than being pressed on the return as soon as once more. “Is {that a} no?” Williams responded. “Now folks on the set are laughing; that is distracting. You are distracting us over there.”
Requested as soon as once more whether or not that meant sure or no by the host, Savannah Guthrie, Williams responded: “That is not a sure or a no. I do not know, I am simply going to see what occurs.”
“That is a perhaps to me,” Guthrie mentioned, prompting one other response from the previous tennis star, who mentioned: “That is not a perhaps. Pay attention, I’ve two youngsters. I’m a full-time stay-at-home (mother). Once I stuffed out a kind the opposite day, occupation: housewife.”
Serena Williams is, nonetheless, again within the anti-doping take a look at pool, which suggests she can be eligible to function on the French Open, after six months of being on that checklist with testing. It will mark a sensational return, one which her sister, Venus, has already achieved at 45.
“Did I reenter? I don’t know if I used to be out. Pay attention, I can’t focus on this,” Williams mentioned, laughing, when requested about being again within the tennis anti-doping take a look at pool.
When requested if she needed to place the state of affairs to mattress, Williams responded: “I need to go to mattress. It is early. You are humorous. That was enjoyable,” whereas laughing. The non-committal responses from the previous star definitely trace at the potential of a return, if she decides it’s time to head again out to the courtroom.
Williams final performed in 2022, that includes on the U.S. Open in September of that yr, earlier than asserting a brand new course. Whereas she by no means explicitly said it was a retirement from the game, the 44-year-old outlined a need to pursue different components of her life, which included motherhood.
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“I’ve by no means appreciated the phrase retirement,” Williams instructed Vogue in 2022. “It doesn’t really feel like a contemporary phrase to me. I’ve been considering of this as a transition, however I need to be delicate about how I exploit that phrase, which suggests one thing very particular and necessary to a group of individuals.
“Possibly the most effective phrase to explain what I’m as much as is evolution. I’m right here to let you know that I’m evolving away from tennis, towards different issues which can be necessary to me.
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“A number of years in the past I quietly began Serena Ventures, a enterprise capital agency. Quickly after that, I began a household. I need to develop that household.”
Now, over three years since that exit from the courtroom, Williams may very well be nearing an almighty return as one of many sport’s most influential gamers in its historical past.
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