Did Serena Williams just drop a comeback hint? Tennis legend claims she's 'not retired'

Serena Williams may not be not done with tennis after the legendary US tennis star dropped a huge statement over her possible comeback. Williams 'evolved' away from the game following her US Open exit but it looks like she has some unfinished business in store. Recently in a column in Vogue magazine, she had written,  "I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist. I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of 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."

She went on to add, "Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family." Following this announcement, the US Open 2022 became a celebration of her illustrious career.

Retirement U-turn for Serena Williams?

It has been two months since the 23-time Grand Slam champion bid farewell to tennis but during an event, she suggested that her comeback chances are very high. While speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Williams said, “I am not retired. The chances [of me returning] are very high. You can come to my house and [see] I have a court. I started this company a while ago, so I just jumped right into that. I didn’t even think about the whole retirement. I still haven’t really thought about it."

She added, "But I did go on the court the other day and [realised] for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition and that felt very weird. It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far, I am enjoying it. But I’m still trying to find that balance.”

Serena Williams' journey at the US Open 2022 ended after a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic. Following the exit, Williams had teased a court return. While speaking to the media during the post-match press conference, the 23-time Grand Slam winner said, "I don’t know. I’m not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though. It takes a lot of work to get here. Obviously I’m still capable but it takes a lot more than that. I’m ready to be a mum, explore a different version of Serena.”

A lookback at Serena Williams' career

Talking of Serena Williams' decorated career, the American tennis great burst onto the scene in 1995 as a 14-year-old. By the time Williams was 17, she claimed her maiden Grand Slam title which was the 1999 US Open. Williams had then defeated Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6 (4) to win the trophy. 

Since the US Open triumph, Serena never looked back and went on to win a total of 23 Grand Slam titles which made her the most decorated Women’s Singles tennis player in history. The 23 Grand Slam titles include seven Australian Open titles, three French Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, and six US Open titles. In 2022, Williams evolved away from tennis with 858 tour victories and 73 singles titles. She also had an Olympic gold medal and spent 319 weeks as the World's No. 1 tennis player. Along with Venus, Serena won 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.