Serena Williams Sidesteps Questions on Tennis Return After Denying Rumors About Ending Retirement
Tennis legend Serena Williams was evasive when asked whether she might return to the sport.
"I mean, really? Are you asking this on the Today show? Oh my god," she said on NBC's Today show. "... I'm just having fun and enjoying my life right now. I don't know, I'm just gonna see what happens."
Williams then pushed back when host Savannah Guthrie said, "That's a maybe to me."
"That's not a maybe," Williams said back.
At the very least, the 44-year-old equivocated more in comparison to her public response when the rumors first surfaced in December.
Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg wrote that Williams "has applied for reinstatement to tennis and has been added back into the testing pool." At the time, the 23-time Grand Slam champion indicated a comeback isn't on the cards:
Her comments Thursday, however, will embolden those who believe Williams wants to play competitively again. She could've closed the door on this for good in her interview with Guthrie and refrained from doing so.
Guthrie even teed her up by saying, "If you wanted to put it to bed, this would be a good moment to put the retirement rumors to bed."
Williams' last appearance was in the 2022 U.S. Open. She beat Danka Kovinic in the opening round and then upset No. 2 Anett Kontaveit before losing a three-setter to Ajla Tomljanovic.
The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare noted Williams would be eligible to play at Roland-Garros based on when she re-entered the testing pool. There's a six-month waiting period before players can enter into tournaments.
Eccleshare speculated the U.S. Open mixed doubles event would suit her well for a return if she's looking toward that instead. The USTA tweaked the format last year to showcase singles stars, and the entire tournament spans only two days. Venus Williams was among the entrants in 2025.
Mixed doubles would be a lower-stakes situation and require much less of Williams physically than would playing in a women's singles draw.
