Serena Williams declines to shut down comeback rumors

Field Level Media|published: Thu 29th January, 12:27 2026

Tennis great Serena Williams welcomes inductee Maria Sharapova to the stage at the Saturday, Aug. 23 ceremony at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport.

Serena Williams is not ready to say she's returning to professional tennis. Or that she has played her final match.

In an interview on "Today" on Wednesday, the 44-year-old icon would not commit either way.

"I mean, really? Are you asking this on the 'Today' show? Oh, my goodness," Williams said

When pressed for a more definitive answer, the 23-time Grand Slam winner chuckled and said, "Now people on set are laughing. It's distracting. I'm just having fun and enjoying my life right now."

She continued: "I'm just going to see what happens."

What triggered the line of comeback questioning was the inclusion of Williams' name -- as far back as early October -- on the list of players in the sport's anti-doping test pool. Being in the pool and available for random testing for six months is a requirement for players who want to return to tennis.

Two months ago, as rumors swirled, she issued a more defiant statement.

"Omg yall I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy," she posted on social media.

Williams' sister, 45-year-old Venus, recently began playing on tour again.

--Field Level Media

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