Following her sensational announcement of a comeback in doubles, tennis icon Serena Williams is keeping her options open.
Serena Williams is on the verge of her spectacular comeback on the tennis tour—in doubles alongside Victoria Mboko (19) at London’s Queen’s Club. At a press conference in London, the 23-time Grand Slam champion left open for now whether she will also compete in singles again at the age of 44.
“As far as singles goes, I can’t say yes or no. Right now, it’s no. I feel like I probably need to train a little more if I want to play singles,” Williams said ahead of her opening match against Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA)/Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) on Tuesday. “We’ll see if I can do it. And if I don’t make it, then that’s just not the path for me right now.”
Williams explains the reasons behind her comeback
Williams also spoke at length about the background to her comeback after a nearly four-year break from professional tennis.
“What I missed the most was simply the atmosphere and the traveling. I’ve literally been playing tennis my whole life. At some point, you take it for granted,” said the mother of two. “There are so many factors at play for me right now. Above all, the fact that my kids get to see me play.”
The idea of competing at a high level again is “pretty cool and exciting,” Williams said.
Last Monday, nearly four years after her retirement at the US Open, the icon’s return to the tennis tour was announced. A start by Williams at the classic Wimbledon tournament, which she has won seven times, also seems conceivable at the moment. Next week, the tennis icon will also compete in doubles in Berlin.