Is Serena's comeback edging ever closer? 'Her best chance is on grass at Wimbledon'

Is Serena Williams' comeback edging ever closer? Speaking on his podcast, 'Served with Andy Roddick' the former world No 1 claims "her best chance is on grass at Wimbledon".

Williams has been mooted at a sensational return to professional tennis at the age of 44.

She has not played professional tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round, although she branded her departure as "evolving away" from the sport rather than a retirement.

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Williams re-entered the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year, which requires individuals to provide their whereabouts at any given time, every day, and participate in random testing.

They also need to complete testing for six months before they are allowed to return to competition.

And speaking on his podcast, former US Open champion Roddick believes the 23-time Grand Slam champion has made that decision in order to have the "option" of making a comeback to professional tennis on grass at Wimbledon, where she is a seven-time winner.

"I don't think as soon as you re-enter doping protocols - which happened six or eight months ago - you do that because you want the option of coming back, right? Maybe you don't know if you're coming back or not, but at the very least, you're thinking really hard about it," said Roddick, a three-time Wimbledon finalist.

"And I know this isn't a pragmatic decision. I'm sure there's emotion. I'm sure there's the champion's mentality, ego and like, what if and all of this stuff. If you enter doping protocols, you're looking to come back. Or at least you're looking at the option to come back. If you do that and you're Serena Williams, I got to think, is she going to be faster than when she left? I don't know. I mean, she looks in fantastic shape. And I think you could say her best chance of lightning in a bottle in this comeback is that it's on grass at Wimbledon.

"If she's not sure in November and re-enters doping protocols, can she say I'm coming back? She can't do anything quietly. She's Serena Williams!"

"I think we're going to see her play singles. And I do think the only thing that is a little bit of a doubles motivated thing - as her sister [Venus] is also not retired yet.

"So would you do it for your sister for one last run at the US Open or something like that? Yes. And I said that eight months ago. So that's the only caveat.

"I don't think she plays only doubles at Wimbledon. I think she's going to play singles. But I think there's a half a chance she plays singles before that.

"I just don't see at this point in her life where she's in her forties coming back. How many shots in the basket are you going to have on your best surface in singles again, if that's your intent? I don't think she can skip Wimbledon this year in singles. I think if you're going to come back, I think you got to go.

"At this point I'd be more surprised if she didn't come back just to put a bow on it. I think we're going to see her play professional tennis. I will put it in my veins. I want Serena back on the tennis court. That would be unbelievable. I hope it happens!"

Serena's comeback?

Williams rubbished speculation in December she is considering a comeback despite re-entering the sport's drug testing pool, but the American was then not so dismissive about the question in an interview on The Today Show in the United States in January.

Back then, she said: "That's not a yes or no. I don't know. I'm just gonna see what happens." Queen's begins on Monday June 8.

The 44-year-old shut down rumours on X about making a tennis comeback after she registered with the sport's drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in December.

In a social media post, Williams wrote: "Omg yall I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy."

Williams' older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July 2025 at the age of 45 after almost two years away from the tour, and she also never announced her retirement.

At the 2025 US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.

Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, has spoken previously about wanting Serena to join her back on tour. They claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.

Williams, who played her first professional tennis match back in 1995, admitted the major motivation behind initially calling it quits three years ago was her desire to have a second child.

She gave birth to her second daughter in August 2023, having welcomed her first child almost six years earlier with husband Alexis Ohanian.

Still chasing Grand Slam title No 24

Williams was in the early stages of pregnancy with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open to move just one Grand Slam singles title behind the all-time record held by Margaret Court at the time before Novak Djokovic equalled the record by winning the US Open in 2023.

She reached four more finals on her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was beaten in straight sets on each occasion.

Williams, who won her first major title in 1999 at the US Open as a 17-year-old, told Vogue in 2022 when she revealed plans to walk away from tennis: "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want [Court's] record.

"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth.

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn't show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that's fine. Actually it's extraordinary."

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