About a month after she penned a piece for Vogue stating she’d be “evolving away from tennis” after playing in the 2022 U.S. Open, a tournament she won for the first time back in 1999, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams hinted that her retirement from the game could be short-lived during an interview with Good Morning America.
Speaking to GMA in September, the 41-year-old GOAT of women’s tennis referenced another all-time legend who couldn’t hang ’em up. “I mean, you never know,” Williams said. “I’ve just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend. Tennis has given me so much and I feel like there’s no way that I don’t want to be involved in tennis somehow in the future. I don’t know what that involvement is yet, but I do know that I love the sport so much, I love the game, I love everything about it. It’s just been such a light in my life that I definitely want to keep some sort of [involvement].”
Based on comments Williams made at a conference in San Francisco while promoting her investment company, Serena Ventures, that future involvement with tennis will be her on a court with a racket in her hand playing the game.
“I am not retired,” Williams said. “The chances of a return are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court. I still haven’t really thought about retirement. But I did wake up the other day and go on the court and considered for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition, and it felt really weird. It was like the first day of the rest of my life and I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find that balance.”
The powers that be in professional tennis would likely welcome Williams returning to the court as her departure, coupled with the retirement of Roger Federer, has left the sport devoid of star power. Taking the court once again could also be beneficial for Williams as she certainly played as if she still had some gas in the tank in her loss to Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia in three sets in the third round of the Open.
If Williams really does return to the court, let’s hope her un-retirement tour treats her better than 45-year-old Brady’s has been treating him in Tampa Bay this season.
More Like This
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
