Serena Williams hasn’t ruled out a surprise return to tennis.
The 44-year-old has not played professional tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open, but she characterized her retirement as an “evolution” from tennis rather than a retirement.
Williams debunked speculation in December that he was considering a return despite re-entering the sports world’s drug testing pool.
But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was less dismissive about the question in an interview with America’s Today Show.
“Really, you’re going to hear this on the Today Show? Oh my god,” Williams said when approached about a possible return to action.
“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now.
“It’s not a yes or no. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.
“I have two kids. I’m at home full time (mom). When I filled out the paperwork the other day. Occupation? (I wrote) housewife.”
When asked if he had re-entered the drug-testing pool, Williams replied, “Did I re-enter? I don’t know if I had. Look, I can’t talk about this.”
Williams denied rumors of a return to tennis after registering with tennis’ drug testing agency, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in December.
“Oh no, I’m not going back. This wildfire is crazy,” Williams wrote in a social media post.
Athletes who decide to return for testing must provide information about when and where they can provide a sample.
They will also be required to complete six months of testing before being allowed to return to competition.
Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July at the age of 45 after being away from the tour for nearly two years, but she also did not announce her retirement.
At the US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
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A look back at the most memorable moments of Venus and Serena Williams’ careers at the US Open
Seven-time major singles champion Venus previously said she would like Serena to return to the tour. They won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.
Williams, who played her first professional tennis match in 1995, admitted that her desire to have a second child was the main motivator when she first called it quits three years ago.
She gave birth to Adira River Ohanian in August 2023, and her second daughter gave birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., with husband Alexis Ohanian about six years earlier.
Williams was in the early stages of Olympia’s pregnancy when she won the 2017 Australian Open, extending the record for Grand Slam singles wins held by Margaret Court by just one.
Williams, who gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017, lifted the trophy at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland.
She reached the final four more times after returning from maternity leave, twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open, but lost each time in straight sets.
Williams, who won her first major title at the US Open in 1999 at the age of 17, revealed her plans to take a break from tennis in 2022, telling Vogue magazine:
“The way I look at it, I think I should have won more than 30 Grand Slams. After I came back from giving birth, I had a chance.
“I should have done it, I should have done it, I should have done it. I didn’t show up as I should have or as I should have. But I showed up 23 times and that’s OK. In fact, that’s abnormal.”
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