No Plans Announced As Serena Williams Nears Return Eligibility

Serena Williams has moved a step closer to a potential return to professional tennis, with the sport’s anti-doping body listing her as eligible to compete again from 22nd February.

This marks six months since the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion initially registered with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). Williams, aged 44, appeared on the ITIA website’s reinstatement page on Monday.

However, it remains unclear when, where, or even if Williams will actually play again.

Last year, when news broke that Williams had re-entered the drug testing pool, she took to social media, stating: “Omg y’all I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”

Neither her agent nor a spokesperson for the WTA Tour immediately responded to requests for comment on Monday.

Williams, widely considered one of the sport’s greatest, has not competed since the 2022 US Open. At that time, she famously avoided the word “retiring,” instead declaring she was “evolving” away from tennis.

Athletes returning to the testing pool are required to provide whereabouts information – details of their location when not at official events and times when they are available for sample collection. Individuals who retire while on the list and later wish to return must be available for testing for six months before being permitted to compete again.

Last year, following Williams’ initial move towards a comeback, U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre commented: “If Serena decides to return and compete at the professional level, together with her fans, we will enthusiastically welcome the return of one of the greatest champions in the history of our sport.”

Williams’ elder sister, Venus, made her own return to competition in July at the age of 45, after nearly 18 months away from the tour; she had never officially announced her retirement. At the US Open, Venus Williams became the oldest player to compete in singles at the American Grand Slam tournament since 1981.

When Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, returned at the DC Open, she expressed her wish for Serena to join her back on tour. The sisters claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.

“I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,” Venus Williams remarked at the time, when asked about a social media video showing Serena swinging a racket. “But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.”