Serena Williams approaches potential return; no strategy disclosed
Serena Williams has advanced another step toward a potential return to professional tennis, as the sport’s drug-testing authority listed her as eligible to compete starting on February 22.
This date is six months after the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion first registered with the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Williams, 44, appeared on the ITIA website’s reinstatement section on Monday.
It remains unclear when, where, or if Williams will actually participate in matches again.
Upon the announcement last year that she had entered the ITIA’s drug-testing pool, Williams stated on social media: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
Her agent did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, nor did a representative for the WTA Tour.
Williams, regarded as one of the sport’s legends, has not played since the 2022 US Open. At that time, she expressed that she preferred not to use the term “retiring,” instead indicating that she was “evolving” away from tennis.
Athletes returning to drug testing must provide details about their whereabouts—information on their location when not attending an official event and times when they are available for sample collection. An individual who retires while on the list and later wishes to return must be available for testing for six months prior to being permitted to compete again.
Last year, when it became known that Williams had taken the first step necessary for a comeback, U.S. Tennis Association spokesperson Brendan McIntyre remarked: “If Serena decides to return and compete at the professional level, together with her fans, we will enthusiastically welcome the return of one of the greatest champions in the history of our sport.”
Williams’ elder sister, Venus, resumed competition in July at the age of 45 after nearly 1½ years away from the tour; she had never officially announced her retirement. At the US Open, Venus Williams became the oldest player to participate in singles at the American Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
When Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, returned at the DC Open, she expressed her desire for Serena to join her back on tour. The sisters have collectively won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.
“I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,” Venus Williams stated when asked about a video on social media that featured Serena swinging a racket. “But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.”
Source: espn.com
