Serena Williams enters tennis drug testing pool, could open door for return
One of the greatest tennis players of all time could be returning to the courts soon. Serena Williams, the 23-time major champion, has re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s registered testing pool, a requirement before returning to the sport. Williams’ name was part of the most recent player pool from Oct. 6, and a spokesperson for the ITIA confirmed her inclusion to The Athletic.
“I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option,” the spokesperson said via The Athletic. “All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”
When Williams, 44, announced she was stepping away from tennis in August 2022 in the form of a first-person essay in Vogue, she steered clear of using the word “retirement,” saying “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.” Williams instead called it an “evolution” away from tennis and towards things that were more important to her at that time.
Re-entering her name in the sport’s anti-doping testing pool sounds as though one of the greatest American athletes of all time is now evolving to a point where tennis may become a focal point again. Williams has not made any public statements on this latest news, though she is certainly still playing tennis, which was evident from a Nov. 24 post on social media that showed her playing tennis with her youngest daughter.
If Williams was serious about returning to the sport, she would have to be available for testing for at least six months before returning to competition. Given her name was included in an October pool of players, that would mean Williams could return in April 2026, which could give her time to prepare for the French Open in May and Wimbledon in June. She won the French Open three times in her career and Wimbledon an astounding seven times.
Williams revolutionized women’s tennis when she began her professional career at 14 years old in 1995. Between her and her sister, Venus, the pair became amongst the most famous athletes in the world. Her 23 Grand Slam titles is only bested by Margaret Court who has 24, a record that Williams has expressed interest in breaking in the past. Perhaps this recent news will be the first step in Williams trying to break Court’s record.
