The 2025 tennis season has seen a number of stars make long-awaited returns.
In the summer, American tennis legend Venus Williams made a triumphant comeback to action on the WTA Tour at the Washington Open when she clinched her first tour-level singles win since 2023.
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova also made an impressive return to tennis at the Adelaide International earlier this year, having been sidelined for six months due to injury.
On the men’s side, 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios played his first match in four months, also at the Washington Open, partnering Gael Monfils in doubles.
Now, one former top 20 player, who has not featured on the WTA Tour for two years, has provided an update on her potential return to the sport.
Former major quarterfinalist gives update on her return to tennis
Former Grand Slam quarterfinalist Alison Riske-Amritraj posted an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, after taking a two-year-long hiatus.
She said: “I feel like I would take a second and give a verbal update since I have not done so in quite some time.
“I have had some people ask if I am coming back to play tennis. I do have a protected ranking, but I can’t answer that as of today. I am not fully sure.
“My last match was Wimbledon 2023, and unfortunately, my Father passed away in March of that year. I needed to be with my family, do the things outside the court that made me happy, and that is kind of exactly what I did.
“I intentionally disappeared if you will. My husband and I moved to Charleston, South Carolina and began renovating my 1850 home.
“Even when I was playing, I would say that real estate, interior design, and renovation were all passions of mine.
“It was fun for me to really dive into that. Of course, tennis is still front and centre. It literally gave me my entire world, so I love watching the sport and commenting on it when I am given the opportunity.
“I think more than all of those things, what I have enjoyed the most is being Mom. Calen is nearly 16 months, and she is just the joy of our world and the best thing that has ever happened to us.”
Alison Riske-Amritraj’s last WTA appearance and career statistics
Alison Riske-Amritraj last appeared on the WTA Tour in the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon championships, where she lost to Paula Badosa in straight sets, falling to the Spaniard 6-3, 6-3.
The American has reached a career high ranking of 18 in the world and has clinched three WTA titles on the tour.
She secured a maiden WTA crown at the inaugural Tianjin Open in 2014, where she defeated a 17-year-old Belinda Bencic in the final.
In 2019, Riske-Amritraj achieved her best finish at a Grand Slam when she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon before falling to Serena Williams in three sets.
Earlier that year, she had won her second singles title at the Rosmalen Open, which saw her re-enter the top 50 for the first time since 2017.
The year after winning her third title at the Linz Open in 2021, Riske-Amritraj made two finals at the Adelaide International and the Nottingham Open, but lost to Madison Keys and Beatriz Haddad Maia, respectively.
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