Is Serena Williams’ comeback getting closer? “Her best opportunity is on the grass at Wimbledon,” the former world number one insists on his podcast ‘Served with Andy Roddick’.
Williams is suspected of making a surprising return to professional tennis at the age of 44.
She has not played professional tennis since the loss. To Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open.She branded her departure as “evolving” in the sport rather than retirement.
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Billie Jean King, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Andy Murray and Todd Martin discuss Serena Williams’ legacy on and off the court.
williams Re-entered the tennis anti-doping testing site last year.This requires individuals to provide their whereabouts at specific times each day and participate in random testing.
They must also complete six months of testing before returning to competition.
And on his podcast, former US Open champion Roddick believes the 23-time Grand Slam champion made that decision to have the “option” to return to professional tennis on grass at Wimbledon, where he won the title seven times.
Roddick, a three-time Wimbledon finalist, said: “I don’t think I’m doing it because I want the option to come back as soon as I go back into the doping protocol that happened six or eight months ago, right? I might not know if I’m going to come back or not, but at least I’m thinking really hard about it.”
“And I know this is not a practical decision. I’m sure there will be emotions. The mentality of a champion, the ego, the likes, what ifs, I’m sure there’s all this. When you go into the doping protocol, you’re looking forward to coming back. Or at least you’re looking at the option of coming back. If you do that and you’re Serena Williams, will you be faster than when she left? I don’t know. I mean, she’s in fantastic shape, and the most likely thing she’ll end up in a bottle in this comeback is I guess you could say it was on the grass at Wimbledon.
“If I go back into the doping protocol because I’m not sure in November, can I say I’m back? I can’t do anything quietly. That’s Serena Williams!”
“I think we’ll see her play singles, and I think the only thing that’s a little bit of motivation for her is doubles since her sister (Venus) hasn’t retired yet either.
“So are you going to play one last match for your sister, the US Open or something like that? Yes, I said that eight months ago. That’s the only caveat.”
“I don’t think she’ll only play doubles at Wimbledon. I think she’ll play singles. But I think there’s half a chance she’ll play singles before then.”
“I don’t know if she’ll come back at this point in her 40s. If that’s your intention, how many balls are you going to throw on the best surface in singles again? I don’t think she can skip Wimbledon in singles this year. I think if you’re going to come back, I think you should go.
“I would be more surprised at this point if she didn’t come back just to take her bow. I think I’ll get to see her play professional tennis. I’ll get that in my veins. I hope Serena gets back on the tennis court. It would be incredible. I hope it happens!”
Serena’s return?
Williams sparked speculation he was considering a return despite re-entering the sport’s drug testing pool last December. The Today Show interview wasn’t quite so dismissive of the question. In January.
She said at the time: “It’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know. We’ll just see what happens.” Queen’s starts on Monday 8 June.
The 44-year-old dismissed rumors of a return to tennis after X registered with the sport’s drug-testing body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in December.
“Oh my god, I’m not coming back. These wildfires are crazy,” Williams wrote in a social media post.
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Take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from Venus and Serena Williams’ careers at the US Open.
Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to tennis in July 2025 at the age of 45 after nearly two years off the tour, and she also has not announced her retirement.
At the 2025 US Open, Venus becomes the oldest player to play a singles match at a Grand Slam tournament since 1981.
Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, has previously said she wants Serena to rejoin her on tour. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.
Williams, who played her first professional tennis match in 1995, admitted that her main motivation for first quitting the sport three years ago was her wish to have a second child.
She and husband Alexis Ohanian gave birth to their second daughter in August 2023, after giving birth to their first child almost six years ago.
Still chasing Grand Slam title No. 24.
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Judy Murray says Serena Williams changed the face of women’s tennis.
Williams was in the early stages of her Olympia pregnancy when she won the 2017 Australian Open. The win brought her within one of Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam singles titles. This record was later equaled by Novak Djokovic by winning the 2023 US Open.
Upon her return from maternity leave, she reached four more finals, twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open, but lost in straight sets each time.
Williams, who won her first major title at the US Open in 1999 at the age of 17, revealed her plans to retire from tennis in a 2022 interview with Vogue. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want (Court’s) record.
“In my opinion, I should have won more than 30 Grand Slams. I think I got my chance after returning from childbirth.
“What I should have done, what I could have done. I didn’t show up the way I should have or the way I could have. But I showed up 23 times and that’s okay. In fact, that’s awesome.”
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