Serena Williams sparked speculation about a potential tennis comeback with her latest move.
Williams notified the International Tennis Integrity Agency that she is re-entering the International Registered Testing Pool, which is required for her to return to active play. By re-entering the program, Williams will need to keep authorities aware of where she is at all times for potential drug testing.
“She has notified us that she wants to be reinstated into the testing pool,” Adrian Bassett, a spokesperson for the ITIA, told Matthew Futterman of The Athletic in a text message Tuesday. “I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option. All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”
Players cannot play until they have been back in the pool for six months, so if this is a comeback, it is still going to take a while. However, it is a definitive step toward the 44-year-old playing again.
Williams removed herself from the pool in 2022, when she declared herself retired. At the time, she left the door slightly open for an eventual return, but did not do anything to meaningfully pursue it. She had her second child in 2023, which seemed to indicate a comeback was not in the cards.
Williams last played professionally at the U.S. Open in 2022.
