Serena Williams says she is not returning to tennis, despite rumorsMASON LEIBTue, December 2, 2025 at 9:14 PM UTC·1 min readSerena Williams has no plans to return to tennis.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion took to social media on Tuesday and said she is not returning to the sport despite swirling rumors of a potential comeback.
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"Omg yall I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-," Williams wrote in a post on X.
According to ESPN, the rumors started after Williams reentered the International Tennis Integrity Agency's registered testing pool, meaning she would be randomly tested for substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
John Minchillo/AP - PHOTO: Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, iin the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York City.The testing program "helps to ensure that the sport remains free from doping," according to its website.
ABC News has reached out to Williams for comment.
In 2022, Williams penned a personal essay for Vogue, titled "The Hardest Thing," in which she bid farewell to the sport "on her own terms -- and in her own words."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the essay, Williams said she hated the word "retirement," writing, "The best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."
According to ESPN, the tennis legend officially declared herself retired with the ITIA that same year.
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