Serena Williams’ potential return has stolen all the headlines this week.
News broke on Tuesday that Williams had re-entered the ITIA testing pool, a requirement for anyone looking to compete on the ATP or WTA Tour.
Shutting down the rumors, Williams confirmed that she isn’t coming back, although fans weren’t convinced.
Weighing in on the debate, Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou shared his thoughts.
Patrick Mouratoglou says Serena Williams is in ‘perfect shape’ and that ‘nothing is impossible’
During an interview with ‘The Sports Agents‘, Mouratoglou was asked if he thought Williams was returning in search of another challenge.
“I think she has a lot of challenges in her life at the moment. She has two kids, it’s new. They are still young, and it’s a new journey. She is doing a lot of things in business and has her own fund, plus a lot of other things on the side,” he said.
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“She has challenges, but nothing will ever replace competition in tennis or being number one in the world. Having so much pressure, it’s tough for everyone to be away from this daily pressure. I don’t know, and I cannot speak for her [if she is coming back].”
Mouratoglou didn’t want to speak for her, but did speak to the ‘feasibility’ of a potential comeback.
“Serena is Serena. There is only one in history. She has been able to achieve things in the past that I thought, and everybody would think is impossible,” he said.
“Winning a Grand Slam with a 40-degree fever the whole tournament, on paper, it is impossible, but she did it.
“I would say nothing is impossible for her.”
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The Frenchman then assessed Williams’ physical condition.
“Definitely being perfectly in shape, which looks like it is the case at the moment, is a big asset,” said Mouratoglou.
“She is 44 years old, which is very old for our sport, but on the other hand, she is in perfect shape.
“She is in a better position being in that shape than even younger and not being in that shape for sure.”
It’s unclear whether Williams will make a return to tennis, but how did she perform the last time she stepped on the court?
Serena Williams retired at the 2022 US Open
Entering the 2022 US Open with her Protected Ranking, Williams took on Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic in the first round.
Picking up the win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, Williams advanced to the second round, where she met the number-two seed, Anett Kontaveit.
Williams won a tight first set 7-6 [7-4], to move within touching distance of the third round, before the Estonian fought back.
Kontaveit stepped up in the second, winning the set 6-2, to force a decider on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
There, it was Williams who prevailed 7-6, 2-6, 6-2, qualifying for the third round of the US Open for the 21st time in her career.
Standing between Williams and a place in the fourth round was Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, who had already knocked out Karolina Muchova earlier in the tournament.
Williams dropped the first set 5-7, but roared back in the second, much to the delight of the Flushing Meadows crowd.
She couldn’t quite get over the line, though, losing in three sets to Tomljanovic, in what was supposed to be the final match of her tennis career…
We now know that may not be the case, however, as the debate rages on over why Williams chose to rejoin the testing pool.
When asked for her thoughts, Venus Williams didn’t seem to think her sister would return to tennis.
“All I know is that I can’t get her on the court. She doesn’t practice,” she said.
Only time will tell if we will see Williams return in 2026, but it will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.
The 2026 US Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 30.
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