What did Serena Williams say about her comeback? Everything you need to know about recent confusion, controversy, tennis world reactions & more

Serena Williams continues to shake up the tennis world despite walking away from the sport over three years ago. Rumors of her potential comeback started doing the rounds recently, to which she issued a firm denial.

However, there's no smoke without a fire, and the rumor didn't circulate out of thin air. Fans were excited for her return, only to be left deflated upon her clarification. Her sister, Venus Williams, also denied all talks of a comeback at a recent exhibition event.

The 23-time Major champion's return may or may not materialize. As the dust seems to settle on the matter, here's a quick recap of the entire episode, right from the start to its present resolution:

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Serena Williams' inclusion on the ITIA's testing pool kickstarted the entire saga

Serena Williams at the Baby2Baby gala. (Photo: Getty)

Serena Williams' name was spotted on the official testing pool of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) registry on Tuesday, December 2. For any player intending to make a return to the sport, registering for anti-doping tests at least six months prior to their comeback is a must.

This wasn't an error from the ITIA's side, and a spokesperson for the organization, Adrian Bassett, attested to the veracity of the claim. He confirmed that Williams had indeed opted to put herself back on the testing list.

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

This fueled speculation of her comeback. As the rumors began to swirl, Williams took to social media to put an end to the chatter of her return. The American stated any comeback related talk was just "crazy".

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

Fans were crestfallen after Williams' clear-cut denial. They flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to express their disappointment about the one rumor that they badly wanted to be true.

"So it's SereNAH for the comeback..." expressed a fan.

"She retired, my denial did not. That’s the real wildfire here," chipped another fan.

"You got our hopes up there for a minute," wrote a fan.

Journalist Ben Rothenberg wanted to investigate further. Williams' former peer Magda Linette was disappointed that she wouldn't get an opportunity to hit with her once again.

"Too bad. Wanted to ask for practice!" Linette said.

"@serenawilliams Then why did you apply to reenter the testing pool?" asked Rothenberg.

Nevertheless, Williams' intentions were analyzed. Getting tested for drugs isn't a fun experience. Doubles specialist Ellen Perez confirmed the same during her appearance on The Tennis Podcast, and wondered why would the former World No. 1 subject herself to the same for no reason.

"I can tell you, when you're in the doping protocols, it's not fun," Perez said. "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."

Williams' elder sister, Venus, is still competing on the tour, and made the quarterfinals in doubles at the US Open 2025. Perez suggested that seeing her sister still playing at a high level perhaps reignited the competitive desire within her as well.

"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," Perez said.

Venus Williams participated in the Charlotte Invitational on Thursday, December 4. Naturally, she was asked about her sister's possible return to tennis and what were her thoughts on the matter.

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Venus Williams rebuffs all rumors of sister Serena Williams' comeback

Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the US Open 2022. (Photo: Getty)

Venus Williams was quizzed about her sister's return to tennis during her interaction with the media at the Charlotte Invitational. The seven-time Major champion joked that she can barely get her sister to practice with her, so a full-fledged return seems like a distant dream.

"All I know is, I can't get Serena Williams on the court. She doesn't practice," Venus said with a laugh at her press conference (shared on X by user 'Christian's Court). "So it seems very unlikely to me."

This is the latest development in the matter. Williams' inclusion on the ITIA list is the most damning piece of evidence going against her denial. Whether she eventually returns to the tour or not, only time will tell.