Serena Williams has passed a new phase on her path to a possible comeback in professional tennis after being listed on Monday by the sport’s drug testing body as eligible to return to competition on February 22.
That comes six months after the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion initially registered with the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
Williams, who is 44, was listed on the recovery page of the ITIA website on Monday, a development first reported by Bounces.
What was not immediately known was when and where – or rather if – Williams will actually play again.
When it was revealed last year that Williams had applied to ITIA to return to the drug testing pool, she wrote on social media: “Omg everyone, I am NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
Her agent did not immediately return a request for comment Monday. Neither does a spokesperson for the WTA Tour.
When it was announced last year that Williams had taken the first step necessary for a return, US Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre said: “If Serena decides to return and compete at the professional level, along with her fans, we will enthusiastically welcome the return of one of the greatest champions in the history of our sport.”
Williams, one of the game’s greats, has not competed since retiring at the 2022 US Open. Williams said at the time that she did not want to use the word “retirement” and instead stated that she was “evolving” away from tennis.
Athletes returning to testing must provide information about their whereabouts: details of their location when not at an official event and times they are available to provide samples. Someone who retires while on the list and returns later must be available for testing for six months before returning to competition.
Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to competition last July at the age of 45, after nearly a year and a half away from the tour; she had never announced her retirement. At the US Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles at the American Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
When Venus, a seven-time singles champion, returned to the DC Open, she spoke of wanting Serena to join her on tour again. They claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a couple.
“I keep telling my team, the only thing that would make this better is if she were here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,” Venus said at the time when asked about a video on social media of Serena swinging a racket. “But when she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let you all know.”
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