Serena Williams has hinted at a possible return to tennis at the age of 42.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed in 2022 that she was “evolving away from tennis” after a notable era of dominance.
But on Tuesday, the mother of two suggested she was about to return to playing. She wrote on X: “I’m ready to hit some balls again.”
Williams’ younger sister has amassed 73 singles titles in her career, raking in more than $94 million in prize money.
The last time she played a competitive match was the 2022 US Open, when she was defeated by Ajla Tomljanovic.
Tennis legend Serena Williams has hinted at a possible return to the court at the age of 42.
A few months earlier, he had revealed that he would soon be heading in a “different direction” and that tennis would take a backseat.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote. “It doesn’t seem like a modern word to me.
‘I’ve been thinking about this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Perhaps the best word to describe what I’m doing is evolution.
He added: ‘There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction.
‘It’s always difficult that moment when you love something so much. Gosh, I enjoy tennis. But now she has started the countdown.
‘I have to focus on being a mother, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but simply exciting, Serena. “I’m going to enjoy these next few weeks.”
But just a month after the US Open, Williams had begun to hint that her career wasn’t over after all.
“The chances (of him returning) are very high,” Williams said. ‘You can come to my house and (see). I have a court.’
Williams’ comments came as part of a promotion for her investment firm, Serena Ventures.
“I started this company a while ago, so I jumped right into it,” he said. ‘I didn’t even think about the whole retirement.
‘I haven’t thought about it yet. But I walked onto the court the other day and (realized) for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition and that felt very strange.
‘It was like the first day of the rest of my life and, so far, I’m enjoying it. But I’m still trying to find that balance.”
