Serena Williams Officially Responds To Tennis Comeback Rumor

Is Serena Williams returning to the WTA Tour in 2026? There are a lot of rumors about the 23-time Grand Slam champion floating around social media this week.

Williams hasn't played in a professional tennis match since the 2022 US Open. She made it to the third round before losing a thriller against Ajla Tomljanovic. Although she seemed at peace with "evolving away" from the sport, the latest update on her suggests she's not done competing.

It was reported Tuesday that Williams reentered the registered testing pool for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). She declared herself retired with the ITIA in 2022.

In order to be eligible to return to competition, Williams needs to be an active player in the ITIA's doping test pool for at least six months. According to The Athletic, she's been in the pool since October 6.

Another reason fans are convinced Williams is returning to tennis is because her older sister Venus made a comeback this past summer. In fact, she upset Peyton Stearns at the Citi Open and made a deep run in women's doubles at the US Open.