Ahead of her much-anticipated return to the court this week, tennis legend Serena Williams has opened up about the motivation behind her big comeback, and the pressure (or lack thereof) she is feeling ahead of that pivotal moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis whole journey is, like, I\u2019m putting no pressure on myself,\u201d Williams told reporters in a pre-Queen\u2019s Club tournament press conference on Sunday. \u201cI\u2019ve had enough pressure. For me, right now, it\u2019s really just about … It\u2019s so many elements. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really about my kids getting to see me play,\u201d she continued. \u201cOlympia is a little older, Adira is very young, but it\u2019s also still moments like that. It\u2019s also just [that] an athlete is the best thing that you can be and the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there\u2019s a little of that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then asked if her doubles comeback might extend to an appearance in a singles draw sometime soon, Williams maintained that “no pressure” attitude in her reply.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor singles, I can’t say \u2018yeah,\u2019 I can\u2019t say \u2018no.\u2019 Right now, no. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we\u2019ll see if I get there. If not, that\u2019s not my journey right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
To some degree, Williams’s comeback has been a long time coming. After officially retiring in 2022, the 23-time Grand Slam winner applied to re-enter the ITIA’s International Registered Testing Pool <\/a>in December 2025, a move that, at the very least, opened the door to a return to competition.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option,\u201d ITIA representative Adrian Bassett\u00a0told\u00a0The Athletic<\/a> at the time. \u201cAll I can say is she\u2019s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.\u201d<\/p>\n That same day, however, Williams vehemently denied comeback speculation in a post on X.<\/p>\n Omg yall I\u2019m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-<\/p>\n
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