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Is the greatest women's tennis player of all time considering a return to the sport? Serena Williams, who stepped away from the sport in 2022, wasn't about to give that away on TODAY on Jan. 28, but she didn't say no, either.
'I mean really, are you asking this on the TODAY show?' she told Savannah Guthrie. 'Oh my God.' 'They would kill me if I didn't,' Savannah replied. Williams, 44, raised some eyebrows in December when she filed the necessary paperwork to return to the sport's registered drug-testing pool. With speculation building at that time, she tweeted, 'Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.' On TODAY, she was not that definitive. 'Oh my goodness,' she said. 'Is that a no?' Savannah asked. 'Is that a no?' Williams responded. 'Now people on the set are laughing, this is distracting. You're distracting us over there.' 'OK, but you didn't say yes or no,' Savannah said. 'I'm just having fun and enjoying my life right now,' Williams replied. 'That's not a yes or a no,' Savannah clarified. 'That's not a yes or a no,' Williams said. 'I don't know, I'm just going to see what happens.' Savannah stayed on the case. 'That's a maybe to me,' she said. 'That's not a maybe,' Williams replied. 'Listen, I have two kids. I am a full-time stay-at-home . When I filled out a form the other day, occupation: housewife.' Savannah followed by noting that Williams re-entered the drug protocol, a precursor for any type of comeback by the 23-time Grand Slam winner. There also was conjecture that she would return because her sister, fellow tennis luminary Venus Williams, was back on the court at 45, where she recently became the oldest woman to compete in the singles draw at the Australian Open. 'Did I re-enter?' Williams coyly said about the drug protocol. 'I didn't know if I was out. Listen, I can't discuss this.' 'I'm just saying that if you wanted to put it to bed, this would be a good moment to put the retirement rumors to bed,' Savannah said. 'I want to go to bed,' Williams said while laughing. 'It's early. You're funny. That was fun.' Craig Melvin was unconvinced, as he said from off camera that he 'heard a maybe.' 'You didn't hear a maybe,' Williams said. Williams played her final match in September 2022 after participating in her final Grand Slam event at that year's U.S. Open. She shared in an essay for Vogue at that time that she was choosing motherhood over continuing her career. She is a mom to daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, with husband Alexis Ohanian. Williams also spoke to Savannah about Venus' wedding over the holidays and her upcoming Super Bowl commercial for Ro, a health care company connected to a GLP-1 medication that she says has transformed her health. Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and serves on the board.
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