Rumours of Serena Williams returning to tennis have been swirling since the American icon re-joined the drug testing pool at the end of 2025.
The American retired from tennis in 2022 after a stunning career which saw her capture 23 Grand Slam titles.
The star has refused to rule out a return to tennis, which has caused the likes of Aryna Sabalenka to speculate on Williams playing once again.
Now, Williams’ former rival Lindsay Davenport has weighed in on the debate with an incredibly positive update.
Lindsay Davenport says Serena Williams’ return will almost definitely happen
Davenport knows a thing or two about Williams’ game, having played her 14 times between 2000 and 2005.
The former American professional, now a pundit at the Australian Open, believes it’s a matter of when, not if, for Williams’ return to the sport.
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Speaking to Nine, multi-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport was near-certain that Williams was returning to tennis in 2026.
“Having no inside info on what she is doing, I would say it is in the high 90s (percentage chance) that she is going to come back in some capacity.
“I just don’t think that you willingly put yourself back into the drug testing pool otherwise. You are giving these drug testers an hour every day of your schedule, you’re a mom of two, you’re running a business.
“You have to give them an hour every day to come and find you for a drug test. She’s going to be eligible at the end of February to be able to start competing again.
“That’ll be the end of her six months to be drug tested. I don’t think there’s any way you do that unless you’re not planning to play somewhere. I don’t know if it’s singles or doubles or a lot of rumours. I think it would be amazing.”
Plenty have speculated on what Williams will do if she returns to the sport, with the general consensus landing on a doubles appearance with her sister Venus.
What happened in Serena Williams’ last match
It was fitting that Williams decided to step away from the sport at her home tournament, at the 2022 US Open.
The star, who qualified for the event due to a protected ranking, produced a nice run to the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Serena Williams’ Grand Slam success
| Year | Grand Slam |
| 1999 | US Open |
| 2002 | French Open |
| 2002 | Wimbledon |
| 2002 | US Open (2) |
| 2003 | Australian Open |
| 2003 | Wimbledon (2) |
| 2005 | Australian Open (2) |
| 2007 | Australian Open (3) |
| 2008 | US Open (3) |
| 2009 | Australian Open (4) |
| 2009 | Wimbledon (3) |
| 2010 | Australian Open (5) |
| 2010 | Wimbledon (4) |
| 2012 | Wimbledon (5) |
| 2012 | US Open (4) |
| 2013 | French Open (2) |
| 2013 | US Open (5) |
| 2014 | US Open (6) |
| 2015 | Australian Open (6) |
| 2015 | French Open (3) |
| 2015 | Wimbledon (6) |
| 2016 | Wimbledon (7) |
| 2017 | Australian Open (7) |
Williams defeated Danka Kovinić and number two seed Anett Kontaveit to set up a match in the third round with Ajla Tomljanović.
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Despite losing the match, Williams went out in style by producing a three-hour-plus classic on Arthur Ashe.
It was one of the more iconic ways for the 23-time Grand Slam champion to retire from the sport, but now it looks as if Williams could be set to write another chapter.
Could we see the American legend return to Flushing Meadows one last time in 2026?
