Serena Williams has seemingly gone back on her claims that she's retiring from tennis after re-entering the sport’s registered drug testing pool. The 44-year-old, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, was reported to be a fan of saying 'I'm evolving away' from the sport in 2022.
Williams filed the necessary paperwork to return to tennis, sparking excitement among fans about the prospect of her comeback. However, just hours after it emerged she had re-entered the pool, Williams posted on social media that she's "not coming back." The move has left many wondering why Williams asked for her name to be added without any intention of playing again.
Joining the list invites a visit from doping officials, as every active player is subject to out-of-competition testing. But those in the testing pool - which includes top 100 singles, doubles and wheelchair players - must let the testers know where they will be for one hour of every single day.
Seven-time major singles champion Venus made a comeback earlier this year, competing in both singles and doubles at the US Open. The prospect of a Williams sisters reunion in 2026 is looking increasingly likely now.
Williams filed the necessary paperwork to return to tennis, sparking excitement among fans about the prospect of her comeback. However, just hours after it emerged she had re-entered the pool, Williams posted on social media that she's "not coming back." The move has left many wondering why Williams asked for her name to be added without any intention of playing again.
Joining the list invites a visit from doping officials, as every active player is subject to out-of-competition testing. But those in the testing pool - which includes top 100 singles, doubles and wheelchair players - must let the testers know where they will be for one hour of every single day.
Seven-time major singles champion Venus made a comeback earlier this year, competing in both singles and doubles at the US Open. The prospect of a Williams sisters reunion in 2026 is looking increasingly likely now.
what's going on with Serena? One minute she says she's done for good, next minute she's back in the pool, lol... like, what's her game 
and honestly i'm kinda disappointed. I was hyped for a Williams sisters reunion 
but now it feels like she's just trolling us 
. Seven years is nothing in tennis, she can come back anytime and look how active Venus has been already... maybe we should've seen this coming 
.
what's really goin' on here? she was all set to ride off into the sunset but then BAM! she jumps back in... like, why bother with all that paperwork if u're just gonna change ur mind again? 
i feel like we'll see her at some tournament next year but probably not until after the new year when everyone's distracted 
and can't keep up. and omg the Williams sisters reunion is gonna be EVERYTHING!!! 
. One minute she's all "I'm evolving away" from tennis, and the next she's back on the circuit 
. I get that she wants to stay competitive, but if she's not planning on playing anymore, why go through all this drama? It's like she's playing a game of cat and mouse with her fans 
. And honestly, it's kinda cool that Venus is already back in the mix - those Williams sisters are always exciting to watch! 
But for Serena, I'd love some clarity on what's really going on... 
. It's like she wants to be part of the conversation but doesn't actually want to play anymore. And honestly, I'm not even mad at her, I just think it's kinda weird. I mean, if she wasn't planning on playing again, why put in all that paperwork? 
.
i mean, we all know she's an icon and it's hard for anyone to live up to her level in tennis... so if she wants to come back when she's good and ready, more power to her 
). The fact that she went through the motions of re-joining the testing pool without being serious about it suggests to me that she was just testing the waters... or should I say, the court 
- a Williams sisters reunion is definitely on my radar now!
. I get it, players can change their minds a lot in this sport, but come on! If she didn't want to play anymore, why put her name out there like that? It's like throwing a wrench into everyone's plans 
. Now, we're all wondering if she was just trying to get attention or what 
anyway, gotta say i'm still all for a wiliams sisters reunion though 
she's an icon and Venus is already showin us what she's workin with after her comeback so let's keep the hope alive 
. We can't always anticipate their next move or what drives them to make certain decisions. All we can do is sit back, watch, and enjoy the drama that unfolds! 
I'm all for evolution, but not like this. And can we talk about how weird it is that she asked to be on the list without actually intending to play again? Like, what's the logic behind that? 
. And I get why she wants to keep testing clean (safety first, right?), but adding herself to the list without any intention of playing is just puzzling 
... like, did she even really want to play or was this just some form of mental exercise? 
