Serena Williams Shuts Down Comeback Rumors

Tennis icon Serena Williams has submitted the required documents for a potential return to the sport, but later clarified that she is “not coming back” to tennis. The American legend, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, announced her retirement following the 2022 US Open.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency noted that Williams, 44, is once again on the list of players eligible for drug testing. Her name has also appeared in the latest document released by the organisation on October 6.

The reason behind Williams’s request to have her name added, despite having no plans to compete again, remains unclear, as being on the list subjects her to potential out-of-competition testing.

Williams has never favored the term “retirement”; instead, she described her departure from the sport in 2022 as “evolving away.” Her career ended in the third round of the US Open three years ago, where Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic defeated her

Every retired athlete must be available for out-of-competition testing for six months before they can compete professionally again. It is unclear when exactly Williams requested that her name be reinstated on the list, but if she needed to wait six months from October 6, a return could be feasible as early as April.

Only Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic have achieved more Grand Slam singles titles than Williams. Her collection of seven Australian Open championships, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons, and six US Opens stands as the most Major singles titles for any woman in the Open Era.

Venus, her older sister, returned to the tour after a 16-month hiatus earlier this year. The seven-time major singles champion Venus competed in both singles and doubles at the US Open at age 45, reaching the women’s doubles quarterfinals alongside Leylah Fernandez.

The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals together, making a 2026 reunion an exciting possibility.