Serena Williams takes first step towards making tennis comeback
Serena Williams has taken the first step towards making a possible comeback to tennis by registering with the sport's drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.The 23-time Grand Slam champion is considered to be one of the greats of the game and has not competed since bidding farewell at the 2022 US Open.
The 44-year-old said at the time she did not want to use the word "retiring" and instead said she was "evolving" away from tennis.
Athletes who decide to return to testing need to provide information about their time and locations when they are available to give samples.They also need to complete testing for six months before they are allowed to return to competition.
Williams' older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July at the age of 45 after almost two years away from the tour, and she also never announced her retirement.
At the US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, has spoken previously about wanting Serena to join her back on tour. They claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.Williams: Conversations around Black women in sport have changed
Williams recently spoke out about how conversations around Black women in sport have "changed".Featuring in the latest cover story for Net-A-Porter's digital title Porter, the 44-year-old, who won 23 Grand Slam titles over a 27-year professional career, opened up to the magazine about the resilience she built as a Black woman in sport.Williams said: "Growing up and being Black in tennis, it's just like, well, that comes with negativity. I don't hear the noise. Everyone is entitled to their opinion."Breaking into the predominantly white game was no easy feat for the tennis star, who faced criticism and racial bias over the course of her career.Many now credit the player for her influence and role in transforming the game, and she said that conversations around Black women in sport have "changed".She said: "No one's calling these girls the (things) I was called. People would say we were like men and all this other stuff."But I'm so happy that girls nowadays don't have to go through it as much."Statistically, the greatest tennis player of her era, Williams played 1,011 matches on the WTA Tour and faced opponents born in every year from 1966 to 2003 over the course of her long career.She said: "No matter how prepared you are to retire, and particularly from doing something every day at such a high level, it's hard. I really prepped myself the best way I could but it's still something that's a little difficult."I want to bring in more clarity, confidence that I made the right decisions and that you don't always have to live only for your children. I'm discovering me again."Watch the ATP and WTA Tours in 2026, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
