Serena Williams has teased a possible return to tennis at age 42.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed in 2022 that she was “walking away from tennis” after a remarkable era of dominance.
But on Tuesday, the mother-of-two hinted she was close to performing again. She wrote on X: “I’m ready to hit balls again.”
Williams’ younger sister has amassed 73 career singles titles, collecting more than $94 million in prize money.
She last played a competitive match at the 2022 US Open, when she was defeated by Ajla Tomljanovic.
Tennis legend Serena Williams has opened up about a possible return to the court at the age of 42.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed in 2022 that she was “stepping away from tennis”.
Williams and Alexis Ohanian have two daughters – Alexis Olympia (right) and Adira River (center)
A few months earlier, she revealed that she would soon be moving in a “different direction” as tennis took a back seat.
“I never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote. “That doesn’t seem like a modern word to me.
“I thought of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive to how I use this word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. The best word to describe what I do is perhaps evolution.
She added: “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to go in a different direction.
“This moment is always difficult when you love something so much. My God, I love tennis. But now the countdown has begun.
Williams, now 42, won the first of her 23 Grand Slam titles at the 1999 US Open.
On Tuesday, the mother-of-two hinted she was about to play again
“I have to focus on being a mom, on my spiritual goals and finally on discovering a different, but simply exciting Serena. I will savor these next few weeks.
But just a month after the US Open, Williams had begun to hint that her career might not be over after all.
“The chances (of my return) are very high,” Williams said. ‘You can come to my house and (see). I have a court.
Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and the couple have two daughters: Alexis Olympia, six, and Adira River, who turns one in August. His comments were part of a promotion from his investment company, Serena Ventures.
“I started this business a while ago, so I jumped right in,” she said. “I didn’t even think about the whole retirement thing.
The 42-year-old has also won 14 major doubles titles alongside her older sister Venus.
“I’m ready to hit some balls again,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion wrote on X
“I still haven’t really thought about it. But I went out on the field the other day and realized for the first time in my life that I wasn’t playing for a competition and it was very weird.
“It felt like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far I’m enjoying it. But I’m still trying to find that balance.
Williams won the first of her 23 Grand Slam titles at the 1999 US Open. She went on to win six times in New York and also won multiple times at the Australian Open (seven times), Roland Garros (three times). ) and Wimbledon (seven times).
The last of her major victories came in 2017, leaving Williams one step short of Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. The 42-year-old has also won 14 major doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.
dailymail us
