Serena Williams, regarded as the greatest female tennis player, is making steps that suggest a potential return to professional tennis, though she has not confirmed her comeback. The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played in 2022 and recently expressed her desire to rejoin the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s testing pool, indicating she may be considering a return. ITIA spokeswoman Adrienne Bassett noted that while her name appears in the pool, it’s unclear whether this means she is officially coming back.
On social media, Williams denied any plans to return, referencing the wildfires in California. The testing pool requires athletes to submit their daily whereabouts for potential random drug testing and mandates a six-month period in the pool before entering a tournament. While rejoining the pool could allow Williams to compete in events like mixed doubles at the US Open, officials from the WTA Tour and USTA were not aware of her re-entry.
Moreover, Serena’s past success in doubles with her sister Venus, along with her history at major tournaments like Wimbledon, raises the possibility of her return to singles play. Off the court, Williams is now an ambassador for a telemedicine company that sells weight loss drugs, which she has publicly discussed regarding her body image issues during her career. Although these drugs are not banned, their status may change as they continue to be monitored.
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