Serena Williams refused to rule out the possibility of a shock 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, although she described her departure as a “walk away” from the sport rather than a retirement.
In December, Williams dismissed speculation she was considering a comeback despite re-entering the sport’s drug testing facility.
But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was not so dismissive about the issue in an interview with The Today Show in the United States.
“Really, are you asking this on the Today Show? Oh, my God,” Williams said when the idea of a potential return to the game was brought up.
“Right now I’m just having fun and enjoying my life.”
“It’s not a yes or no. I don’t know. I’m just going to see what happens.”
“I have two children. I am always at home (mother). When I filled out the form the other day. Occupation? (I wrote) Housewife.”
When asked if she re-entered the drug-testing pool, Williams replied, “Am I back in? I don’t know if I’m out. Look, I can’t talk about that.”
Williams dismissed rumors of a return to tennis after she registered with the sport’s drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in December.
In a post on social media, Williams wrote: “Omg iall I’m not coming back. This fire is crazy.”
Athletes who choose to return for testing should provide information about their time and location when they are available to provide samples.
They must also complete testing for six months before being allowed to return to competition.
Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July at the age of 45 after nearly two years off the tour, and has also never announced 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 review of the most memorable moments from the careers of Venus and Serena Williams at the US Open
Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, has previously spoken about wanting Serena to join her on tour. They won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.
Williams, who played her first professional tennis match in 1995, admitted that her main motivation for initially quitting three years ago was her desire to have a second child.
She gave birth to Adira River Ohanian in August 2023, and her second daughter welcomed her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., with husband Alexis Ohanian almost six years earlier.
Williams was in the early stages of her pregnancy with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open to move just one Grand Slam title behind the all-time record held by Margaret Court.
Williams, who gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017, lifted the trophy at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland.
After returning from maternity leave, she reached four more finals, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was defeated in straight sets on each occasion.
Williams, who won her first major title in 1999 at the US Open as a 17-year-old, told Vogue in 2022 when she revealed plans to retire from tennis: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want (Court’s) record.
“The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had chances after I came back from childbirth.
“Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. I didn’t show up like I should have or could have. But I did show up 23 times, and that’s fine. In fact, that’s remarkable.”
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