Serena Williams’ potential return to professional tennis has been the worst-kept secret over the last few months, sparking huge excitement across the sporting world.
After all, her re-emergence from retirement would see one of the very best players of all time make a much-anticipated return at the age of 44.
Many will question how competitive she will be, but few will care.
Just catching a glimpse of a player as legendary as Serena Williams one more time would be enough for most fans.
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And now, the tournament where she could potentially make her return seems set.
Serena Williams’ comeback confirmed
This latest update on such groundbreaking news came via journalist Ben Rothenberg, who first wrote on X: “Serena Williams is going to gain reinstatement to tennis before the end of this month, when she will have completed her six months back in the tennis testing pool.
“The Serena comeback is now officially official.”
Then, delving into his article, he provided a crucial addition that shed further light on the timescale of her return: “The International Tennis Integrity Agency website updated its list of reinstatements proactively on Monday morning, indicating that Serena Williams will have completed her six months of reentry in the anti-doping testing pool on February 22nd, just 13 days from now.”
This means that Serena could well renounce her retirement and re-enter the professional tennis world again at Indian Wells, at an event she won twice during her sparkling career.
How competitive will Serena Williams really be?
Naturally, the question many will now have is just how competitive the 23-time Grand Slam champion will actually be on the WTA Tour, just under four years since she retired from the sport.
However, we have been handed tidbits of information, and can piece plenty more together to successfully explain why it’d be unwise to bet against her.
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Chief among the reasons supporting her successful and seamless return to professional tennis is what Alycia Parks said just last week, speaking after practising with Serena Williams.
She admitted: “I actually practiced with her last Monday.
“She is in great shape. So I think she would kill it on tour.”
Also, given how Venus Williams has remained competitive in her comeback despite being older and less successful than her sister, there’s scope to believe that Serena could be an even greater success upon her return.
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