{"id":1946883,"date":"2026-05-21T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1946883"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:00:11","slug":"serena-williams-comeback-may-be-about-to-become-the-biggest-story-in-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1946883","title":{"rendered":"Serena Williams comeback may be about to become the biggest story in tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Serena Williams comeback may be about to become the biggest story in tennis<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/tennis365\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Tennis365                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"21 May 2026 10:00 AM\" data-ps-date=\"21 May 2026 10:00 AM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1779354011\"><br \/>\n                            21 May 2026 10:00 AM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" 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                <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Serena Williams comeback may be about to become the biggest story in tennis\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Serena-Williams-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Serena Williams speaks\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Serena Williams on a talk show                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>Serena Williams looked set to announce her return to tennis earlier this year and we may not have long to wait until this remarkable story becomes headline news around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Confirmation that Williams had added her name back to the anti-doping list that she would need to be on to return to tennis sent shivers of excitement through the sport.<\/p>\n<p>She may be a 44-year-old mother of two, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/serena-williams\">Williams<\/a> is a sporting icon who may still be the biggest name in women\u2019s tennis some four years after she hit her final ball in anger.<\/p>\n<p>The notion that she could return to the court and challenge players who could easily be her daughters may seem fanciful, but this is no ordinary sporting superstar.<\/p>\n<p>This is a legend who only needs one name to identify herself and like Tiger, LeBron, Roger and Novak, you should never write off the ultimate icons of sport.<\/p>\n<h2>More Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/coco-gauffs-magical-quality-chases-serena-williams-record\">Coco Gauff\u2019s \u2018magical\u2019 quality highlighted as she chases Serena Williams record<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/serena-williams-comeback-date-olympics-venus-williams\">Serena Williams set a golden target as comeback date edges closer<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If Williams is going to make a return to tennis, two venues spring to mind as likely destinations and one of them will be on the tennis horizon very soon.<\/p>\n<p>Social media rumours emanating from America suggest a decision will soon be made on where Williams will return and it would not be a surprise if the announcement came soon,<\/p>\n<p>Wimbledon has long been a cherished venue for seven-time singles champion Williams, with her desire to play at the All England Club seeing her battle through the pain barrier at times to get onto the historic Centre Court.<\/p>\n<p>Her last appearance came back in 2022, as she lost against Harmony Tan on a night when she was clearly hampered by an injury problem.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks later, the US Open crowd were waving farewell to Serena in an extended leaving party that captured headlines around the world.<\/p>\n<p>So if we are to see Williams make a return to tennis in 2026, Wimbledon or the US Open seem to be obvious targets and the first of those will be on her mind next month.<\/p>\n<p>There has been little or no news about if an when Williams will return, but she would be expected to play in a warm-up event before taking to the court again and if the super fit version of Serena we have seen in her public appearances is any gauge, she could be a real threat when she gets back on court.<\/p>\n<p>Tennis365 spoke to former WTA Tour player and Sky Sports Tennis presenter Naomi Cavaday about the comeback of Williams and she set a high bar of expectation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will be quite a spectacle,\u201d said Cavaday, speaking exclusively to Tennis365 at a Sky Sports Tennis event in London.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever, wherever it happens, I mean, if she wants to play tournaments, we\u2019ll have her. I\u2019m fascinated by the motivation for it and to how it\u2019s going to go because the problem with Serena\u2019s record is that anything other than winning Slams will be seen as a disappointment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe not as far as a failure, but when she came back from having a kid, I think making the finals was a success. No one saw it as a failure, but, you know, she\u2019s here to win Slam. So if she\u2019s coming back, everyone\u2019s going to be expecting her to be winning Slams, not losing quarters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s in a very different position than her sister Venus, who\u2019s clearly just playing because she enjoys it and doesn\u2019t really worry that she\u2019s losing in the first round a lot. But for Serena, I don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t know where this ends up if she loses early and she\u2019s not a threat and she\u2019s getting chewed up by players in the top 10.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf that happens, it\u2019s gonna be rough for her, but my expectations of what she can achieve are very high.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think her level walks to top 10, even after so long away and at her age. She might not necessarily get into the top 10 of the rankings, as she probably won\u2019t play enough tournaments, but her level could be right there with top players quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think you stick her against somebody ranked 20, I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be a problem. She\u2019ll have the occasional difficulty, I\u2019m sure, along the way, but outside of Aryna Sabalenka and [Elena] Rybakina, she will be fancy her chances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCoco Gauff is having a few problems, there is a lot of talk around the issues in Iga Swiatek\u2019s team and that\u2019s gonna be going on throughout the whole season. Then I look at players like [Jasmine] Paolini and I think Serena would be able to beat players like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first date for a possible return for Serena is now upon us and after rumours of potential comeback dates over the last few months came to nothing, the prospect of playing at Wimbledon may be the trigger to get her back on court.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen if she plans to play in singles or compete with her sister Venus in doubles, but tennis is holding its breath over what comes next in the Serena story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/serena-williams-comeback-date-revealed\">Serena Williams comeback date and location predicted by former British No 1<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Serena Williams comeback may be about to become the biggest story in tennis Tennis365 21 May 2026 10:00 AM Serena Williams on a talk show Serena Williams looked set to announce her return to tennis earlier this year and we may not have long to wait until this remarkable story becomes headline news around the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1946883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1946883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1946883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1946883\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1946883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1946883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1946883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}