Serena Williams addresses speculation she will make a comeback to tennis at the age of 44
Serena Williams has addressed speculation about a tennis comeback after reports suggested the 23-time Grand Slam champion had applied for reinstatement to competition.
It seems Serena Williams may not be returning to the court after all.
In a message posted to X on Tuesday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion dispelled buzz of a potential retirement U-turn following a report that suggested she “has applied for reinstatement to tennis and has been added back into the [drug] testing pool.”
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” Williams wrote.
Williams, who called it a career in 2022, is listed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of retired players as of Tuesday.
Bounces noted in its report how “names only appear on that ITIA reinstatements list once their six months back on the testing pool have been completed, not when the six months are still ongoing.”
Williams, 44, played her final match in September 2022 at the U.S. Open, falling to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round.
Williams, who last won a Grand Slam in 2017 at the Australian Open, spoke to Vogue about her decision to “evolve away from tennis” ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open.
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
“I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” Williams wrote at the time. “A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family.”
Married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Williams became a mom to daughters Olympia and Adira in 2017 and 2023, respectively.The couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary in November.
Originally published as Serena Williams addresses speculation she will make a comeback to tennis at the age of 44
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