Billie Jean King has hailed Serena Williams as one of the greatest servers of all time and ‘would love’ the former world No.1 to return to competitive tennis.
In recent weeks, there has been speculation that Williams, who hasn’t played since the 2022 US Open, could come out of retirement. Earlier this year, the American rejoined the sport’s International Registered Testing Pool, which is a key requirement for all players on the Tour, with her name appearing on the list on October 6th. A spokesperson for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Adrian Bassett, confirmed to The Athletic that Williams formally notified them that she wanted to be reinstated.
Shortly after news broke about a possible comeback, the 23-time Grand Slam champion dismissed reports that she would be playing professionally again, posting on social media: “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.” However, she is yet to address the reason why she decided to join the testing pool again.
As it stands, there is no indication that Williams will be on the Tour in 2026 at the age of 44. However, WTA co-founder King says she would welcome any potential comeback in the future.
“I think she wants to try to play again. But I think she’s also very bright and very smart that she knows she’s not going to be No 1 again,” she said of Williams.
“But if you love to play, why not? I mean, she’s all set in life. She doesn’t need it financially, and she enjoys it.
“I met her when she was six and Venus was seven at a tennis clinic we gave in Long Beach, California. They came with their dad Richard. It was an amazing day. I’ll never forget it.
“We had the kids hit back and forth from the audience. Because they’re so exceptional. You could see right away they’re exceptional.
“Personally, I would love it [if Williams came back].”
During her 27-year career, Williams won 73 WTA titles and spent a total of 319 weeks at the top of the rankings. She won a total of $94,816,730 in prize money, which is more than any other female player in history.
“I want everyone to understand one thing about Serena. Serena has the most beautiful service game in the world, ever. No one’s ever had a better technique on their serve than Serena Williams,” King continued.
“I saw it when she was six years old. I saw her serve. I went: ‘Oh my God, don’t change a thing’.
“If she does come back, I want people to appreciate her serve. Pete Sampras and I used to talk about it. Her serve is so perfect technically. All the kids out there that want to be great, watch her serve.
“Her serve is the all-time technique ever in the history of the game, still.”
Since playing her last WTA match, Williams has ventured into numerous business investments, working as the managing partner of Serena Ventures. She has two children – Olympia, 7, and Adira, 2 − with husband Alexis Ohanian.