Is Serena Williams making a tennis comeback? Why the internet is excited

Serena Williams might be ready for her tennis comeback. Williams is one of the biggest tennis stars of all time, having won 23 major singles titles, the most in the history of women's professional tennis. New reports suggest that she's making the necessary preparations to return to tennis courts at some point in 2026. 

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Williams has applied for reinstatement to the International Tennis Integrity Agency's (ITIA) testing pool. While this doesn't remove her from the list of retired players, it suggests that in six months, unless Williams changes her mind, she'll be able to return to tennis competitions after she's followed through with the agency's routine drug tests. 

Williams declared herself retired in 2022 at the ITIA, meaning that she could be exempt from these mandatory tests for players participating in tournaments.

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She's yet to make a public statement on the matter, but last week, she shared some photos of herself and her daughter playing tennis together. "This is me sharing my passion for tennis with my youngest daughter," she captioned the post, which showed some photos of Williams showing her youngest daughter how to properly serve and hold her tennis racquet. 

Williams' comeback may have been coming for some time

While Williams' appearance on the ITIA's testing pool list is the biggest suggestion that she's returning to professional tennis, over the past year, the idea of her returning to courts has been thrown around.

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In July of this year, her sister Venus Williams made her comeback to the sport after a 16-month absence. She participated in the US Open, in singles and in doubles alongside Canadian player Leylah Fernandez. Following Venus' exit from the tournament, Williams shared a sweet comment on social media. "I hope to be like you," she wrote.

All through Venus' involvement in the tournament, she was asked repeatedly about Williams and whether or not she was considering returning to tennis. "I mean, I keep saying to my team, 'The only thing that would make this better is if she was here,' like we always did everything together, so of course I miss her," said Venus. "But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know."

In the meantime, we'll have to wait for Williams' official statement on the matter. 

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