Tennis fans have begged Serena Williams to come out of retirement after she posted a short video of herself practicing on the court.
The 43-year-old walked away from the sport two years ago, telling Vogue that she was ‘evolving away from tennis’ and that she wanted to expand her family. She also said that she never wanted to have to choose between tennis and family.
However, she hinted at a potential comeback just a few months later, saying: “I am not retired. The chances [of a return] are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court.”
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Williams took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a video of herself returning balls on a tennis court. She captioned the post: “When you love something come rain or shine you find a way to enjoy and keep doing it.”
The comments were flooded with fans urging her to start competing again, with @jojox9581 saying: “Please come back! Your game is so missed.” @TennisAndUFC, meanwhile, added: “COME BACK AND WIN 10 MORE SLAMS.”
“We miss you so much queen,” wrote @radulenkawta, while @KirkBigGeneral said: “Girl I keep telling you to give us one more year or two.”
Plenty of other fans said the same thing but it remains to be seen if Williams will ever decide to return to the professional game. Earlier this year, she admitted that she missed competing and said a comeback would always be on her mind.
In an interview with Vanity Fair during Wimbledon, she was asked if she had been watching it and replied: “Oh my God, I just can’t right now. I miss it. I think that’s normal. It’s normal to miss something that you’ve done since the day you were born.
“I think as long as I’m healthy, that’s always going to be in the back of my mind. I stay fit. I stay healthy. When I’m watching, it’s like, ‘Okay, well, you could be out there too’.”
Williams has found a new calling as a mother since her retirement, having given birth to her daughter Olympia just before walking away from tennis. She has since welcomed a second child, Adira, with her husband Alexis Ohanian.
She revealed that she had been volunteering at her children’s schools in a recent interview with Today, saying: “As a mom, I’m actually way more active than what I was during tennis. Obviously, [with] tennis, I was playing Wimbledon and stuff.
“But, as a mom, I’m gone all day. I’m really competitive about it, too. I sign my name up whenever I can, whenever there’s a spot open.”
