A telling detail has emerged online shedding light on Serena Williams tennis comeback rumours, with a possible return date floated.
Serena Williams’s return to the tennis court looks inevitable after the sport’s drug testing organisation quietly updated her status to eligible to return to competition on February 22.
Six months after the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion initially registered with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), on Monday, she was removed from the retirement page and placed on the website’s reinstatement page.
Williams, one of the greatest to ever take to the court, has not competed since bidding farewell at the 2022 US Open.
At the time, she insisted she wasn’t “retiring”, but she simply was “evolving” away from tennis.
She then sparked rumours that her return was imminent after re-entering the testing pool.
And now it looks like it’s going to happen.
The ITIA moving Williams’ status from retired to eligible indicates she has completed six months of testing, something required for any athlete looking to return to competition.
The sport’s drug testing agency, therefore, gives her the tick to return from February 22.
While Williams has not confirmed she is returning, if she wasn’t eyeing a comeback, it would be bizarre to re-enter the testing pool.
The February 22nd reinstatement gives the tennis champion an abundance of time to prepare for the ATP-WTA 1000 Indian Wells, where the main draw begins on March 4th.
She also could eye a return at the WTA 1000 in Miami weeks after that.
If it all goes to plan, a wildcard for Roland Garros or Wimbledon could also be on the cards, as any of the majors would be undoubtedly chomping at the bit to get her playing there.
The other, potentially more likely, possibility is that Williams teams up in doubles with her older sister.
Venus returned to competition last July at age 45, after nearly two years off tour.
At the US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at the American grand slam tournament since 1981 and previously formed a formidable partnership with Serena.
The Williams duo claimed 14 grand slam doubles titles together, and at last year’s DC Open, Venus declared she hoped Serena would again share the court with her.