Serena Williams could be making her return to tennis sooner than we thought.
Williams appeared to have retired from professional tennis at the 2022 US Open, after losing in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic.
However, rumors began to circulate last year about Williams making a return after she was seen to have re-entered the drug testing pool, which players are required to do if they want to compete.
Despite Williams previously denying these rumors, a big update has now been provided ahead of Wimbledon this year.
Jon Wertheim provides big update on Serena Williams returning to tennis
High-profile tennis journalist and co-host of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast Jon Wertheim provided a big update on Williams in the latest episode.
Wertheim revealed that he had heard Williams had made multiple requests for the grass court season, which includes playing doubles alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club Championships.
“I have heard there have been multiple wildcard requests for grass court season,” said Wertheim. “She is putting in the requests.
“This is all being done with such weird cloak and dagger and denials and secrecy and the truth is this is awesome.
“Whatever it is, it is. Maybe it’s not anything that is going to pan out. But it does look like she will be playing the grass season. What I have heard is that she will be playing at Queen’s Club doubles with Victoria Mboko.”
Serena Williams will go further than Coco Gauff at Wimbledon – Prove me wrong!
Andy Roddick then joined the conversation, explaining that Williams would only have re-entered the drug testing pool if she had any intention of coming back.
“I know too much on this story, because what I will say, as soon as you re-enter doping protocols which happened six to eight months ago, you do that because you want the option of coming back,” said Roddick.
“Maybe you don’t know if you want the option or not, but at the very least you are thinking very hard about it and you want to be free and clear if you are at Roland Garros and decide that you want to play on the grass.”
What happened the last time Serena Williams played at Wimbledon?
It has been nearly four years since Williams last played a match on grass, and she will be hoping for a better outcome if she does return to tennis.
Williams played her last Wimbledon in 2022, where she suffered back-to-back first round losses at the same Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
After retiring in her first round match at Wimbledon the year prior, Williams returned to the singles match court for the first time in a year against Harmony Tan.
Do you think women’s tennis has got better or worse since Serena Williams retired in 2022?
Tan stunned Williams after beating her in a third set tie-break 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7).
If Wertheim’s reports about Williams are correct, then it will not be long until she makes her return to the WTA Tour, with the Queen’s Club Championships getting underway on Monday, June 8.
