Serena Williams sparks comeback talk after making big decision

Serena Williams could be making a return to tennis after making a big decision. The 23-time major champion has reentered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) registered testing pool, potentially clearing her way for a comeback, per Matthew Futterman of The Athletic.

Williams retired from tennis in 2022 after her run at the U.S. Open ended. The 44-year-old has since asked to be reinstated, and her name is in the most recent list of players in the testing pool, dated Oct. 6. Williams has not made a public comment about making a comeback.

When Serena Williams announced her retirement, she officially declared it with the ITIA, which led to her no longer being tested regularly. She is still listed as retired, but she can return to action and be listed as a reinstated player after being an active player in the pool for six months.

“She has notified us that she wants to be reinstated into the testing pool,” Adrian Bassett, a spokesperson for the ITIA, told The Athletic in a text message Tuesday. “I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option. All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”

When would Serena Williams return to the tennis court?

With Williams being reinstated on Oct. 6, she could potentially return to the court in April. However, Futterman said Williams will likely return at the U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament. When she last played in 2022, Williams avoided the word “retirement” in her announcement.”

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” Williams said in a piece she wrote in Vogue in August 2022. “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

Williams’ 23 major women’s singles titles are the most in the Open Era and the second-most all-time. She has also won 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals with her sister, Venus Williams.