Serena Williams isn’t coming back to tennis - and she wants to make that crystal clear.
After a recent registration with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) sparked a wave of speculation about a possible return, the 23-time Grand Slam champion took to social media to shut it down. “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” Williams wrote, putting a definitive stop to the comeback chatter.
The ITIA registration is standard protocol for any athlete considering a return to sanctioned competition. It requires athletes to re-enter the drug-testing pool and undergo six months of testing before they’re eligible to compete again. But in this case, it doesn’t signal a return - just a procedural step that got blown out of proportion.
Williams, 44, hasn’t competed since her emotional farewell at the 2022 US Open. At the time, she made headlines not just for her on-court performance but for how she framed her departure.
She didn’t call it a retirement - she called it an “evolution.” That wording left the door slightly ajar, and fans have been peeking through it ever since, hoping for one last run from one of the greatest to ever play the game.
But Serena’s made her priorities clear. Her decision to walk away from tennis was deeply personal, driven largely by her desire to expand her family.
In August 2023, she gave birth to her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian. Her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., was born nearly six years earlier - famously while Serena was in the early stages of pregnancy during her 2017 Australian Open triumph.
That win marked her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, placing her just one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record.
She came close to tying it - four more Grand Slam finals followed her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. But each time, the title slipped just out of reach. Still, her perspective on that chapter is refreshingly grounded.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want [Court’s] record,” she told Vogue in 2022. “The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams.
I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine.
Actually, it’s extraordinary.”
And it is. Williams’ career spanned nearly three decades, beginning with her first pro match in 1995 and culminating in a resume that includes 1,011 WTA Tour matches. She faced opponents born across nearly four decades - from 1966 to 2003 - and left a lasting imprint on every era she touched.
Her influence, however, stretches far beyond the stat sheet. In a recent cover story for Porter, Williams opened up about what it meant to be a Black woman in a predominantly white sport - and how the landscape has shifted since she first broke through.
“Growing up and being Black in tennis, it’s just like, well, that comes with negativity,” she said. “I don’t hear the noise. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
Williams and her sister Venus faced a barrage of criticism and racial bias early in their careers - much of it coded, some of it blatant. But they didn’t just weather the storm; they changed the climate. Serena reflected on how different the conversation is for today’s generation of Black women in sports.
“No one’s calling these girls the [things] I was called,” she said. “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.”
Venus, now 45, quietly returned to the tour in July after nearly two years away - never having officially retired. At this year’s US Open, she became the oldest player to compete in singles at a Grand Slam since 1981.
The sisters, who together claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, have always shared a unique bond on and off the court. Venus has previously expressed hope that Serena might join her again, but for now, that reunion looks unlikely.
Serena’s focus is on life beyond the baseline. She’s spoken candidly about the challenges of stepping away from something that’s defined her for so long.
“No matter how prepared you are to retire, and particularly from doing something every day at such a high level, it’s hard,” she said. “I really prepped myself the best way I could, but it’s still something that’s a little difficult.”
Now, she’s navigating a new kind of evolution - one that’s less about titles and trophies and more about rediscovering herself outside the lines.
“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,” she said. “I’m discovering me again.”
So, while the tennis world may still dream of a Serena comeback, the reality is this: she’s already made her mark. And now, she’s writing a new chapter - one that doesn’t require a racket, but still carries the same champion’s spirit.