Serena Williams tempered a December social-media denial of a comeback when she addressed the topic during a recent morning interview. In early December she posted on X, “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-,” but her responses in the studio that followed were more measured.

Asked about a possible return while promoting a Super Bowl ad for Ro, a health company that markets and prescribes GLP-1 drugs, Williams smiled and pushed back at the line of questioning. “I mean, really? Are you asking this on the ‘TODAY’ show?’ Oh my goodness,” she said, drawing laughter. “I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” she added.

Williams, who shares daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, with her husband Alexis Ohanian, described herself as a “full-time, stay-at-home” mom and has even listed her occupation as “housewife” on a recent form. She has not labeled the season she stepped away in 2022 as formal retirement.

When pressed about reports that she had reentered the drug testing pool, Williams laughed: “Did I reenter? I don’t know if I was out. Listen, I can’t discuss this.” Co-host Savannah Guthrie suggested that the moment could settle speculation: “OK, I’m just saying if I wanted to put it to bed, this would be a good moment. To put the retirement rumors to bed,” to which Williams quipped: “I want to go to bed. It’s early.”

Public and media interest in a potential comeback has centered in part on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Williams sisters won Olympic doubles gold in 2000, 2008 and 2012, and fan speculation has grown since Venus Williams returned to competition last summer after more than a year away. At that time Venus said, “I don’t ask those questions.” She added, “We always did everything together, so of course I miss her. But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know,” leaving the question open rather than settled.

Serena Williams stayed at the center of online attention throughout 2025 with a string of public moments that kept fans and the media talking. Though she retired three years earlier, her appearances and actions generated widespread reaction.

She made a high-profile cameo at Super Bowl LIX, joining headline performer Kendrick Lamar during the Halftime Show and dancing to “Not Like Us.” Her crip-walking from the stage quickly spread across social platforms, drawing praise from fellow player Coco Gauff, who wrote on X: “Serena ate that…” The appearance was amplified by Lamar’s lyrical reference to Williams in a Grammy-winning track, in which he warned Drake that he “better not speak on Serena” amid that ongoing rap feud.

Tennis history also resurfaced in 2025 when Williams travelled to Newport, R.I., for Maria Sharapova’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The two, who first met on tour in 2004 and played each other 22 times with Williams leading 20–2, offered a reminder of their rivalry and shared place in the sport’s modern era. Introducing Sharapova, Williams called her a “forever friend” and addressed the audience directly: “I know I’m probably the last person you would be expecting to see here tonight!” She added, “To the world, we looked miles and miles apart. The truth is, we weren’t. We wanted the exact same thing at the exact same time: to be the very best…” and she closed that tribute by saying, “There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be my very best every time we stepped out onto the court. Maria Sharapova was one of them.”

The third flashpoint came when fans discovered Williams had been added to the International Registered Testing Pool of the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Reports said she had requested reinstatement as early as October, a move widely read as a possible first step toward a comeback. Questions about mixed doubles at the US Open or a push for a 24th major followed until Williams addressed the speculation herself on X: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy…”

Serena Williams has taken a formal step that opens the door to a return to professional tennis. The International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed that Williams notified the organization she wants to be reinstated into the International Registered Testing Pool. That pool is the mandatory list for players seeking to re-enter competition.

Williams, a 23-time major champion, last competed at the 2022 US Open, reaching the third round. She officially registered her retirement with the ITIA on Sept. 3, 2022, but she never publicly used the word “retirement,” preferring to say she was “evolving away” from professional tennis.

The most concrete hint of a comeback arrived when her name appeared on an updated ITIA testing-pool list dated Oct. 6 of this year. At the same time she remains on the agency’s retired players list with the September 2022 retirement date until any return is finalized.

During her time away from the tour Williams has focused on a growing business portfolio and family life. She is a mother of two, Alexis Olympia born in 2017 and Adira River born in 2023. Williams has invested in several women’s sports properties, including Angel City FC and the WNBA, and continues corporate partnerships. Her endorsements include the weight-loss drug Zepbound, which contains GLP-1s, a substance monitored by WADA.

She has also maintained a visible public presence, making a cameo in the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show and recently helping induct her longtime rival Maria Sharapova into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Williams has teased fans with social media posts of herself hitting on court with Olympia and photos showing off her toned physique.

The ITIA testing pool covers the Top 100 men’s and women’s singles players, elite doubles and wheelchair players, and athletes aiming to return to competition after a long break. Williams’ return to that pool represents the clearest procedural sign yet that she is preparing the path back to professional play.

© 2025 Tim Mosenfelder