Serena Williams insists ‘I’m NOT coming back’ despite rumors
Tennis great Serena Williams spoke to
“Oh my God, I am NOT coming back,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion wrote. “This forest fire is crazy-”
Williams played her last match on September 2, 2002, a loss to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open. The next day, Williams registered as retired with the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees anti-doping and anti-corruption efforts in the sport, meaning she was no longer subject to regular drug testing.
An ITIA spokesperson confirmed to The Times on Tuesday that Williams was back in the agency’s drug testing group. Retired players “may not return to sanctioned events unless they have made themselves available for out-of-competition testing at least six months prior to the event in question,” according to the ITIA website.
That’s why talk of a potential return for Williams was spreading like “wildfire” before the 44-year-old attempted to put out the flames on X. The mother of two did not explain why she is back in the Test squad. A representative for Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.
Williams avoided the word “retirement” when she announced her plans to step away from tennis in an August 2022 column in Vogue.
“Perhaps the best word to describe what I do is evolution,” she said. “I’m here to tell you that I’m moving from tennis to other things that are important to me.”
Older sister Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, returned to the court earlier this year after a long hiatus. During her run to the US Open women’s doubles quarterfinals with partner Leylah Fernandez, Venus Williams mentioned that her sister was “coaching remotely.”
