Will she or won’t she? This has been the question asked about Serena Williams potentially resuming her career this season at the age of 44.
There has been widespread speculation that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could be returning to the Tour ever since she rejoined the anti-doping testing pool in 2025. A requirement every player must do before they are allowed to compete professionally. However, Williams has been coy about the topic and was very reluctant to speak about the rumours when speaking on the TODAY show last month.
“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” Williams replied when quizzed about a potential comeback.
“That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.” She added.
Since then, details have emerged about a hitting session Williams held with Alycia Parks. During an interview with Tennis Majors, Parks stated that she had no ‘inside information’ about what the future has in store for the former world No.1. However, she has been impressed by her fitness.
“She’s definitely a good mentor to me and she helps me a lot, especially in my practices,” said Parks.
“She is in great shape. So I think she would kill it on Tour.”
Williams, who last played a competitive match in 2022, has won over $94 million in prize money during her career. More than any other female player in the sport’s history. Overall, she has won 96 WTA titles, with 73 of those being in singles.
It remains to be seen if Williams will return to the Tour. Although she isn’t the only player who isn’t ruling out a comeback in their 40s.
Svetlana Kuznetsova played Williams 13 times between 2004 and 2016. The Russian is a former world No.2 who won the 2004 US Open and the 2009 French Open. She hasn’t played in the Tour since losing in the first round of the 2021 Wimbledon championships.
Since then, Kuznetsova has taken acting classes to help with the production of a series based around her career (called Trigger), tried her hand at designing clothes and has worked with the Moscow Transport Department to promote a healthier lifestyle for the public.
“I did not want to announce my retirement because, honestly, I did not know if I would come back later on […] In fact, to this day, I do not know if I will return.” She said during a recent interview with Punto de Break.
“At that time, I was unsure if I would get tired of the other life, and now we have Venus Williams playing at 45 years old. What if injuries respected me? What if I felt like trying again? I was not sure, so I did not say goodbye. I chose to leave it open in case I felt like returning later.”
So, how likely is it that Kuznetsova will hit the Tour again?
“It is very small, getting smaller every year. I do think about having a farewell gesture, for example, but it would have to be something nice,” the 40-year-old commented.
In the current game, there is a trend of players playing later into their careers. The most notable is that of 45-year-old Venus Williams, who played at last month’s Australian Open in both singles and doubles. Another example is 41-year-old Vera Zvonareva, who is currently playing at the Qatar Open, where she has already won two rounds of qualifying, as well as her first round match on Sunday.
