Serena Williams‘ latest comeback was never supposed to be about proving that she could still dominate women’s tennis.
At 44, after almost four years away from the singles tour, simply walking back onto a Grand Slam court was extraordinary. Yet the American has now revealed that she is still thinking about doing something even more ambitious: playing another singles match. Speaking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews in an interview that aired on Good Morning America, Williams admitted that she expects to return to singles at some point.
“I’ll probably play again. I have to. After some of those returns, I think I need to play.” The comment is significant because Williams had already decided against accepting another opportunity to compete in the US Open singles draw. Instead, she returned to Flushing Meadows in mixed doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz and is also teaming up with older sister Venus Williams in women’s doubles.
Asked whether she could see herself playing singles again, Williams was equally direct. “I think I will. But this isn’t something permanent, obviously. I just really want my children to see me play at a different age.” That last sentence perhaps explains the comeback better than any ranking or tournament result could.
Williams had initially stepped away from professional tennis following the 2022 US Open. At the time, her career appeared to be winding down, with her defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium regarded by many as her final singles appearance. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who spent 319 weeks at No. 1, subsequently spent several years away from competitive tennis.
Then came the surprise. In June, Williams returned to competition at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, initially entering the doubles draw. Her comeback gathered momentum quickly and, remarkably, she accepted a wildcard into the Wimbledon singles draw later that month. It was her first singles match in almost four years.
Wimbledon produced the kind of contest that reminded the tennis world why Williams’ presence still carries enormous weight. Facing Australia’s Maya Joint, Williams lost 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 in a two-hour, 22-minute battle. She saved match point in the second-set tiebreak and even produced a 122 mph serve during the contest, but the younger Joint eventually held her nerve to complete one of the biggest victories of her career.
The physical toll was immediate. Williams suffered a right knee injury during the match and subsequently withdrew from the Wimbledon women’s doubles event with Venus. That injury ultimately influenced her US Open plans. “I injured myself at Wimbledon. And I just didn’t have time to recover, unfortunately,” Williams said.
“And I just didn’t want to take any opportunities away from someone if in terms of getting a wild card if I wasn’t able to compete at a way that I knew I could.” Instead, she returned to the US Open through doubles. Serena and Venus received a wildcard for the women’s doubles draw, marking their first appearance together at a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open. The sisters are 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions, including two US Open titles.
Serena also teamed up with Alcaraz in mixed doubles, with the pair reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli. Serena is no longer chasing a record, she is chasing a moment. The temptation is to frame another Serena Williams singles comeback purely as a sporting challenge. Can she win another Grand Slam match? Can she compete with the younger generation? Can she make another deep run? Those questions matter, but they miss the bigger point.
Williams has already built one of the greatest careers in sporting history. There is no statistical argument left for her to settle. What she is chasing now is something far more personal: the chance for her children to see the competitor their mother was, and perhaps still is. Her Wimbledon performance proved that the competitive instinct has not disappeared.
The question is whether her body can allow her to explore it again. That uncertainty is precisely what makes the possibility of another singles appearance so compelling. Williams is not promising a full-time return. She has made that clear. She is simply refusing to close the door. And perhaps that is the most Serena-like part of this comeback. At an age when most athletes have long since moved on, she is still asking one question: what if?
