Ever since Serena Williams walked away from professional tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open, there has always been the question of if she would return the sport in some capacity. Although she continued to deny any “unretirement,” those rumors recently have been fueled. And, as of Wednesday, Williams herself added some fuel to the fire.
When appearing on The Today Show on Wednesday, the 23-time major champion was asked by Savannah Guthrie about the International Tennis Integrity Agency reinstating her to be drug tested. When this news came out in December, Williams quickly shut down any rumors with a tweet. But, her response (or non-response) on Wednesday makes it seem like she isn’t shutting down any possibilities of returning to tennis.
Here’s how the conversation went, where Williams seemed very avoidant of giving any firm answers.
“I mean, really? Are you asking this on The Today Show? Oh my God,” Williams said.
After that non answer, Guthrie asked if that was a no. “Is that a no?” Williams said with a laugh: “Now people on set are laughing. This is distracting. You’re distracting us over there. I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now.
“That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.”
Remember when my Bounces report about Serena Williams returning to tennis came out in December and Serena tweeted out a denial hours later?
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 29, 2026
Well, Serena did a whole lot less denying today on The Today Show… pic.twitter.com/9uoODBjrWz
Guthrie replied saying “That’s a maybe to me.” Williams immediately said, “That’s not a maybe.”
“Did I re-enter? I don’t know if I was out. Listen, I can’t discuss this,” Williams said in response to the ITIA reinstatement last month.
Guthrie emphasized to Williams that if she wanted to put these rumors “to bed,” this would be the time. Williams once again avoided doing so: “If I want to put it to bed... Listen, I want to go to bed—it’s early.”
While this wasn’t an official announcement for Williams to return to tennis, this is the most open she’s sounded publicly to the possibility. And, fans know she’s been practicing on the court as she just posted a video on Monday of her hitting balls with her two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
Williams may call herself a stay-at-home mom at this point in her life, but there’s still a chance she could come back to being a professional tennis player, too. Her older sister Venus is still competing as she just played at the Australian Open, losing in the first round.
Never say never at this point.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Serena Williams Won’t Give a Firm Answer to Comeback Rumors.
