“Maybe it’s a fetish thing": Tennis stars and analysts push strange claim after Serena Williams denies comeback rumours

Serena Williams publicly denied her comeback rumors, which started after she re-entered the registered testing pool of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). For any former tennis player looking to return, it's a prerequisite under anti-doping rules.

The reason behind the wildfire of rumors had to do with her sister, Venus Williams, as well, who returned to competitive tennis at the age of 45. However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said she's not eyeing a comeback.

This has led to tennis stars and analysts thinking about what could probably be the reason for entering the registered testing pool, if not for returning. On The Tennis podcast, Aussie star Ellen Perez explained the testing procedure.

"I can tell you, when you're in the doping protocols, it's not fun," Perez said (11:02). "Unless she likes a nice 6 a.m. wake-up and enjoys giving blood and having someone watch her pee, I wouldn't know why you'd enter."

Co-host Brie Stewart playfully suggested why Williams might have entered:

"Maybe it's her thing."

Her co-host, Xavier Muhlebach, added:

"Hey, you can have a fetish"

Perez also added the insurance bit like Venus mentioned, as one of her reasons to return.

"Maybe she needs that extra insurance like Venus mentioned. True, she's pretty strapped," Perez added. "So, I don't know. I think there's an element that she watched maybe Venus come back, and I don't know if there's a little last go with them playing together or something, but yeah, I've definitely heard the rumors of her coming back. Who knows if it's true? I just think you don't re-enter the protocol unless you plan on coming back. That's pretty much how it is. So stay tuned, I suppose."

Serena Williams quashes comeback rumors

Serena Williams played her last professional match at the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, she didn't formally say that she was retiring but mentioned that she was "evolving away."

This week, the ITIA confirmed that Williams has indeed requested to re-enter the International Registered Testing Pool. However, the American pro squashed the rumors by tweeting:

"Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy."

As per the ITIA rules, Williams must now submit her whereabouts for the next six months and will have to pass random events before she can take part in a sanctioned event.

It remains to be seen if there is some other reason that has yet to be identified behind Williams' move to re-enter the testing protocol.

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Edited by Krutik Jain