Is Serena Williams eyeing a tennis comeback?

Serena Williams is reportedly in talks to return to competitive tennis. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has reportedly requested a doubles wildcard to compete alongside Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club in London next month.

AFP reported that the 44-year-old has not played since her third-round loss at the 2022 US Open, which left her one title short of the record 24 Grand Slam singles titles jointly held by Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic.

Speculation about a possible comeback intensified when Williams re-entered the anti-doping testing pool in December last year.

At the time, former world number one and ‘Served’ podcast host Andy Roddick noted the significance of that move. According to Roddick, the decision was not practical, but “reflects the mindset of a champion who still feels she has unfinished business”.

However, Williams, who is married to Alexis Ohanian and has two children, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr and Adira River Ohanian, previously denied rumours of a return.

“Omg y’all, I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” she said in a social media post.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka said she would be “entertained” by a Serena Williams return.

“So, yeah, I think it’s good. I’m going to be tuned into the first match, for sure. I think a lot of people are.

“I feel like for me, everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it’s going to be cool to see her on the grounds again,” AFP reported.

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