Serena Williams has teased a possible return to tennis at the age of 42.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed in 2022 that she was ‘evolving away from tennis’ after a remarkable era of dominance.
But on Tuesday, the mother-of-two suggested she was about to start playing again. She wrote on X: ‘I’m ready to play ball again.’
The younger Williams sister has amassed 73 singles titles and collected more than $94 million in prize money.
She last played a competitive match at the 2022 US Open, when she was defeated by Ajla Tomljanovic.
Tennis legend Serena Williams has teased a possible return to the court at the age of 42
A few months earlier, she had revealed that she would soon be taking a “different direction” as tennis took a backseat.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote. ‘To me it doesn’t feel like a modern word.
“I’ve seen this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive to how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Perhaps the best word to describe what I am doing is evolution.’
She added: “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction.
‘That time is always difficult when you love something so much. My god, I enjoy tennis. But now the countdown has begun.
“I need to focus on motherhood, my spiritual goals and ultimately discovering a different but simply exciting Serena. I’m going to enjoy the coming weeks.’
But just a month after the US Open, Williams began hinting that her career was not over after all.
“The chances (of me returning) are very high,” Williams said. “You can come to my house and (see). I have a court.”
Williams’ comments came as part of a promotion for her investment company Serena Ventures.
“I started this business a while ago, so I jumped right in,” she said. ‘I didn’t even think about the whole retirement thing.
‘I haven’t really thought about it yet. But I recently went on the court and (realized) for the first time in my life that I am not playing for a match and that felt very strange.
“It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far I’m enjoying it. But I’m still looking for that balance.’
