SERENA WILLIAMS could make an incredible comeback to professional tennis next year.
The sporting icon – who retired in September 2022 – is eligible to play at Wimbledon or the US Open in 2026, though she would need a wildcard for entry.
The American, 44, has sparked intrigue about playing again after her name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s latest International Registered Testing Pool list, which was published in October.
Williams was registered on that list until she retired three years amid fanfare in New York.
To return to action, she has to be on it for at least six months for out-of-competition testing, which would mean a possible return next spring or next summer.
The former world No.1 finished her career with 23 Slams – seven Wimbledons, seven Australian Opens, three French Opens and six US Opens.
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This is one behind the tally of 24 that was set by Margaret Court, 83, in 1973.
Williams, who has two daughters, lost in her last four major singles finals between 2018-19.
While there is no chance she will ever win another singles championship, she could play doubles action with elder sister Venus, 45, in a swansong appearance in London or Flushing Meadows.
Wimbledon bosses would love to give her a proper send-off, especially as she was handed a special tribute by officials at the US Open in 2022.
Williams has been in the news following a stunning swimsuit photoshoot that showed off her two-stone weight loss transformation, which was the result of fat-reducing medication.
In an interview with Porter, she said: “It was hard because when I was playing in the beginning – the first 15 years – my body was different.
SERENA WILLIAMS GRAND SLAM TITLES
Australian Open (7x) – 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017
French Open (3x) – 2002, 2013, 2015
Wimbledon (7x) – 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
US Open (6x) – 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
“It does affect you mentally. Absolutely. You think you’re large for your whole life and you look [back] and you’re like, I was fit.
“Yeah, I had big muscles. I didn’t look like these other girls but not everyone looks the same.
“[Now] I’m not going to let anyone bring me down, I put enough stress on myself. The last thing I’m going to allow is someone else to do that.
“I want to bring in more clarity, confidence that I made the right decisions and that you don’t always have to live only for your children. I’m discovering me again.”
She also discussed the pressure she was under as a player and said she had to avoid being “vulnerable”.
Williams said: “In tennis you can’t really be yourself, which sounds weird, but you have to keep a veil up.
“You can’t be too vulnerable. In a way I need[ed] to be seen as this person that’s always going to take my opponent out.”
When asked if she missed the sport, she replied: “Not as much as this time last year.
“No matter how prepared you are to retire, and particularly from doing something every day at such a high level, it’s hard.
“I really prepped myself the best way I could, but it’s something that’s still a little difficult.”
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