Serena Williams will be eligible to return to tennis on February 22.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open, but is now expected to make a comeback.
But how will she perform when she does return?
Having practiced with her recently, world number 77 Alycia Parks was impressed by Williams’ level.
Serena Williams would finish 2026 ranked — in the world if she came out of retirement
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“She is in great shape. I think she would kill it on tour,” said Parks.
Parks is looking forward to Williams‘ return, as is the American’s former hitting partner, Sascha Bajin.
However, the German did share some concerns…
Sascha Bajin warns Serena Williams against ‘false confidence’ ahead of return
Posting on X, Bajin had this to say about Williams’ retirement U-turn.
“I hope she doesn’t draw some of these girls who can really go out and beat her,” he said.
“If I can be honest, and I hope you guys don’t take this the wrong way, this comes from a place of love. You don’t want to see her lose to somebody who doesn’t deserve to have that win on her record, and that’s no disrespect, please, to some of those girls who are competing right now.
“That’s not something that I want.”
Bajin also commented on the physical challenges of a return to tennis after such a long time out.
“She’s been out of competition for three and a half, four years,” he said.
“I know when I was with her, in 2012 [2011], she played Eastbourne, the tournament before Wimbledon, she hadn’t been competing for a whole year after her foot injury, we prepared incredibly hard.
“She played a long match, almost over three hours, against Vera Zvonareva. It was really competitive, but she was so sore the next day, she voluntarily took an ice bath in England!
- 2011 Eastbourne 2R – Vera Zvonareva defeated Serena Williams, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5
“Do I think she can play great tennis for 60 minutes? Absolutely, she can!
“Maybe even 90 minutes she can, but can she do it the next day, the day after, the day after…”
The German thinks highly of Williams, but hopes she has the right people around her as she prepares to take another big risk.
“I just hope, and again this is coming from a place of love, I hope that isn’t false confidence right now,” said Bajin.
“I hope she has good people around her who protect her from herself.
“I know that she has been practising with a couple of WTA players; she has been training in Florida, so that’s something good. But competition and practice are so different, like I said with that example, 13, 14 years ago.”
However, despite his concerns, Bajin can’t wait to see Williams back on court!
‘I miss watching her play’ – Sascha Bajin looks forward to Serena Williams’ comeback
“My first initial thought was let’s f— go!” he said.
“I’m so excited, I’ve missed seeing Serena, I’ve missed seeing her on tour, seeing her play.
“She brings a lot of attention to the sport. She’s a very polarizing figure. I love everything about her on the court, from the outfits to the emotions, obviously, as you can tell, I’m a fan, always will be, always have been.
Which WTA player would benefit the most from playing best-of-five sets?
“Cannot wait to see her if she’s coming back, whatever it is, singles, doubles, mixed, I don’t care. As soon as Serena steps on the court, I am tuning in.”
Bajin also claims he had an idea Williams would return, which is why he never spoke about her retirement.
“Honestly, do I think she’s coming back? I do believe so,” he said.
“Never made a statement about her retirement, I never made a tweet, I never made a post, because maybe it was wishful thinking back then, I felt like the chapter wasn’t really closed, she wasn’t really done, wasn’t really happy with the way it ended.
“Maybe it’s wishful thinking right now that she is coming back.
“I think only time will tell.”
Only time will tell, but how much longer will we have to wait?
Williams may be eligible to return next week, but there has been no more news about a potential return date.
Some had suggested she could return at Indian Wells next month, although as the event nears, it’s looking unlikely.
All signs point towards a US Open return with her sister, Venus Williams.
The Williams sisters won 14 major doubles titles together, and what better place to fight for number 15 than at their home Grand Slam?
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