Serena Williams refutes rumours of her possible return to professional tennis

The 23-time Grand Slam winner was added to the ITIA’s Registered Testing Pool.

Serena Williams, a former World No.1 and 23-time Grand Slam champion, was added to the ITIA’s Registered Testing Pool, a prerequisite for playing competitive tennis.

Following the appearance of the younger Williams’ name, the social media space became a hive of activity, setting the rumour mill buzzing on Tuesday.

Her presence on the list makes her eligible to return to the WTA Tour in six months. If agreeable, Serena could find herself on a tennis court mid-season in 2026.

The hype around her rumoured comeback prompted Serena Williams to post a clarification on X (formerly Twitter). “Omg y’all I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” shared the 44-year-old, effectively quashing all rumours of a comeback.

Sports journalist Ben Rothenberg was among those who replied, querying the American, “Then why did you apply to re-enter the testing pool?”

Williams played her last match at the 2022 US Open, a venue where she won six titles. She is also a seven-time champion at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and a three-time winner at Roland Garros.

Serena also bagged gold at the 2012 London Olympics in the singles and doubles events. She paired up with her sister, Venus Williams, in 2012, winning her third gold medal in the doubles event after 2001 and 2008.

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The younger William teamed up with Venus on all three occasions. The duo had won 14 doubles titles together in their time on the WTA Tour.

Serena, with 23 majors to her name, is one short of Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic, who are on 24.

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A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)

Last week, Serena shared photos of herself with her two-year-old daughter, Adira River Ohanian, on the tennis court. Eight-year-old Olympia, the elder sibling, is also familiar with the sport.

A comment left on Instagram raised hopes of another era of domination from the Williams family in women’s tennis. 

Off the tennis court, Serena Williams recently appeared on the cover of fashion magazine Porter, which did a cover story on the tennis icon.

She has recently ventured into the podcasting world, collaborating with her sister Venus on the podcast titled Stockton Street.

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