Serena Williams addresses tennis comeback rumors with "crazy" message

Serena Williams has put out a firm message, shutting down the swirling rumors about a possible tennis comeback. She has been away from the sport for more than three years now, having retired in 2022.

On Tuesday, December 2, rumors began circulating about Williams possibly slipping back into the tennis world after news from the ITIA sparked speculation. The ITIA, or International Tennis Integrity Agency, is the body responsible for overseeing anti-doping and anti-corruption in the sport.

A spokesperson from the ITIA, Adrian Bassett, told the Associated Press that the American had decided to place her name back in the agency’s testing pool. Since any retired player who re-enters the pool must undergo six months of testing before returning to competition, many fans took this as a sign that she might be planning a comeback.

"She is on the list and back in the testing pool," Bassett said.

However, Serena shut down the rumors almost immediately. She took to X (formerly Twitter) to say it was “crazy” how the story spread like “wildfire” and made it clear that she is not returning to tennis.

"Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy," the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote.

Even though Serena Williams has ruled out any chance of a comeback, she has been hitting the court again recently. She shared photos of herself practicing tennis with her youngest daughter, Adira.