Serena Williams sparked rumours a potential comeback to the Tour when she re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency drug testing pool for the first time since 2022.
Williams quickly denied she was making a comeback following her re-entry in December last year.
However, in an interview with the Today Show last month, Williams did not rule out stepping back onto the court.
“I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens,” Williams said.
If Serena Williams isn’t the greatest tennis player of all time, then who is and why?
Jon Wertheim, a well-respected journalist who covers the ATP and WTA Tour, has discussed what he has recently heard regarding Serena’s potential comeback.
Jon Wertheim says Serena Williams does not like the way her Wimbledon career ended
Serena’s potential comeback has been a hot topic of discussion since December, with Lindsay Davenport recently offering her thoughts on the matter.
Jon Wertheim has now provided an update on the situation, suggesting that any potential return will not happen at the Indian Wells Open.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Wertheim [pictured below] said: “I feel like everyone’s sort of playing around with this, and there’s a lot of speculation. I mean, this could be one of the stories of the year for 2026, depending on how this goes.
“So Serena. This we know. She’s back in the doping protocol. She’s eligible to play as of today. I had heard that Indian Wells is probably not on the docket – not having to do with the family history there – but it’s windy, it’s gritty, the court is below the surface. It’s just too many variables there.
“The Williams camp has been very tight-lipped, as they’re entitled to be. In some ways, this is sort of teasing and very much on brand with Serena. They’re sort of non-denial, denials. I’ve heard two names and I’m curious. I mean, you guys, everyone’s been whispering about this. I’m curious if you guys know more.
“I’ve heard two names bandied about. One of them is Martina Navratilova. Martina was roughly the same age when she made a return in her mid-40s. It was doubles only.
Serena Williams’ seven Wimbledon Women’s Singles titles
| Year | Opponent in final | Score |
| 2002 | Venus Williams | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2003 | Venus Williams | 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2009 | Venus Williams | 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2010 | Vera Zvonareva | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2012 | Agnieszka Radwańska | 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 |
| 2015 | Garbine Muguruza | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2016 | Angelique Kerber | 7-5, 6-3 |
“She played doubles, she played mixed, she had some success, she won a major. But she was not getting out there against players half her age trying to win singles majors.
“The other name I have heard a lot is Harmony Tan. Why do I say that? Harmony Tan is the player who beat Serena Williams in her last match at Wimbledon. It was 7-6 in the third. It was the first round. Serena was not anywhere close to peak Serena.
“And I am told by multiple sources that has really stuck in Serena’s craw. That was not how she wanted to end her Wimbledon tenure as a seven-time champion.”
As Wertheim notes, Serena lost to Tan 5-7, 6-1, 6-7 at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Tan went on to reach the fourth round before losing to Amanda Anisimova.
Serena won seven Wimbledon titles during her career, the last being in 2016 when she defeated Angelique Kerber in the final.
Serena won her first Wimbledon title in 2002, defeating Venus Williams in the final.
“Maybe we are peaking toward the grass season, but right now it’s a lot of rumour,” Wertheim concluded.
“It doesn’t look like Indian Wells is going to be the site of the comeback, but otherwise, I think there are a lot of different options here. I love this.”
This comes after Serena was revealed to be practising with Alycia Parks, a current WTA star.
Andrea Petkovic says she would ‘bet her house’ on Serena making a comeback
Andrea Petkovic, the former world number nine, later revealed her confident stance on Serena’s potential comeback.
The German star [pictured below] said: “I have been in the doping protocols for 16 years. Nobody signs up for a 5am warning call. Not to pee in a cup in front of a person with you in the bathroom for doubles.
What would happen if Serena Williams played Aryna Sabalenka in 2025?
“I’m sorry. With all due respect to everybody who is playing doubles, nobody does that voluntarily.
So I bet my money and my house on Serena coming back and playing at least one match, and I think she has earned the right to do whatever she wants. If after one match she just decides it’s not for me, she can do whatever she wants.
“And if she decides, ‘oh, maybe I do have a shot here to go for something bigger’ – I’m thinking it springs to my mind—Lindsey Vonn and how she decided to, despite her ACL, a week later, race in the Winter Olympics. [It] didn’t go well, but the decision is what counts.
“These ‘GOATS,’ they have a different kind of mindset. And without them, we wouldn’t be where we are as a humanity. And so I’m saying more power to her. I hope she comes back.”
