By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Photo credit: Corleve/Mark Peterson
serena williams Dismissed reports of a 2026 return to the professional tour.
The former world No. 1 announced “I will not be coming back” in a social media post on Tuesday, hours after reports emerged that the 23-time Grand Slam champion was preparing for a possible comeback.
Oh my god, I’m not coming back. This wildfire is crazy—
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
Serena, 44, reportedly applied to resume WTA tour Ben Rosenberg of Bounces reported. According to Bounces, Serena actually wanted to resume playing doubles with sister Venus Williams at the 2025 U.S. Open, but the paperwork wasn’t filed in time. Venus Williams then teamed up with former US Open finalist Leila Fernandez and the pair enjoyed an inspired run into the US Open quarter-finals, backed by huge support from fans at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Serena Williams’ last professional match will be at the 2022 U.S. Open.
this International Tennis Integrity Agency Tell Reuters Serena Williams is one of the players in its testing pool. So, if Serena isn’t considering a comeback, why is she re-entering the anti-doping testing process? Maybe Serena wants to keep her options open, or as her former coach Rick March hinted last year, maybe she does want to play doubles with sister Venus Williams again.
The Williams sisters won a total of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and remained undefeated in Grand Slam doubles finals.
Venus Williams, 45, has accepted a wildcard move to Auckland in January, where she plans to continue her comeback.
Of course, considering Serena has vehemently denied the return reports, it makes perfect sense that she’s not even considering a full-blown comeback.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena lost 31 pounds by taking the weight loss drug Ro and training daily. Serena, who has the same six-pack abs she had at the height of her career, told the Today Show that she plans to run a half-marathon in the future.
Now, the owner of 73 professional titles says she has no plans to try again to resume her professional tennis career.
