Serena Williams denies rumors of tennis comeback

Tennis legend Serena Williams has put to rest speculation about a possible return to the sport, following reports that she had been re-entered into the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) testing pool—a requirement for active players.

“Oh my gosh, guys, I am NOT coming back. This rumor fire is just insane,” Williams wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The chatter began after information surfaced suggesting that Williams had submitted data to the ITIA again. A spokesperson for the organization confirmed only that she appeared in the testing pool, emphasizing that this “does not signify an official return” but could simply be a way to “keep the option open.”

Williams retired from professional tennis in the summer of 2022, playing her final match at the US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanović in the third round. In a heartfelt essay for Vogue, she reflected on her decision, admitting the struggle of choosing between career and family:

“If I had to choose between building my tennis resume and my family, I choose family… It’s painful. It’s the hardest thing I could have imagined.”

Photo: John Minchillo/AP