Serena Williams seemed destined for a place on the International Tennis Hall of Fame ballot in 2027. After all, she stepped away from tennis in 2022, satisfying the five-year-away criteria, and well, her record speaks for itself. But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is now back on the court, and that comeback has changed the picture. Ash Barty, Juan Martín del Potro, and Svetlana Kuznetsova have earned nominations for the Class of 2027, but Serena’s name is nowhere to be found.

The Hall announced its nominees on Oct. 18, with Barty making the Player Category ballot for the first time. Del Potro and Kuznetsova return after they failed to secure enough votes in earlier elections. Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist and 28-time major singles champion, has also earned a nomination in the Wheelchair Tennis Category.

Serena’s absence is the headline twist. When she said goodbye to tennis at the 2022 US Open, the Class of 2027 looked like a natural fit for her first shot at induction. Her return in 2026, however, has seemingly complicated that timeline. She played doubles at Queen’s Club, Berlin, Cincinnati, and the US Open, and also returned to singles at Wimbledon. Even with a limited schedule, those appearances put her back in the mix on the professional tour.

The Hall’s eligibility criteria require a player to have been no longer a significant factor on the ATP or WTA Tour for five calendar years before election. Serena’s comeback means the Hall must assess her eligibility against that requirement rather than simply count five years from her 2022 farewell. The rule does not question what she achieved during her career; it sets the period a player must spend away from significant tour competition before induction.

Barty, on the other hand, has made the ballot in her first year of eligibility. She retired in March 2022 as the world No. 1, just weeks after winning the Australian Open. Her three singles major titles came on three different surfaces: the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021, and the 2022 Australian Open. She also won the 2018 US Open women’s doubles title, claimed 15 WTA singles titles, and spent 121 weeks at No. 1. Her career ended at its peak, and her achievements have earned her a place among the nominees.

Del Potro’s return to the ballot gives the Argentine another chance to earn a place in Newport. His defining triumph came at the 2009 US Open, where he beat Roger Federer in a five-set final to win his first and only major singles title. He collected 22 tour-level titles across his career, helped Argentina win its first Davis Cup in 2016, and claimed an Olympic singles silver medal that same year. Injuries repeatedly interrupted his career, but his biggest victories remain among the memorable moments of his generation.

Kuznetsova also returns to the ballot with a career that spans both singles and doubles success. She won the US Open in 2004 and the French Open in 2009, then added Australian Open doubles titles in 2005 and 2012. The Russian finished with 18 WTA singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching career-high rankings of No. 2 in singles and No. 3 in doubles. She also helped Russia win three Billie Jean King Cup titles.

Kunieda’s nomination recognizes a career that helped define wheelchair tennis. The Japanese star won 50 major titles in total, including 28 in singles and 22 in doubles. He collected four Paralympic gold medals, spent a record 582 weeks at world No. 1, and completed the career Golden Slam. Kunieda retired in 2023 while still holding the top ranking.

What are the rules for entering the International Tennis Hall of Fame?

The International Tennis Hall of Fame has separate categories for players, contributors, and wheelchair tennis. In the Player Category, a candidate needs a distinguished record at the highest international level and must not have been a significant factor on the ATP or WTA Tour within the five calendar years before election. The Hall also considers integrity, sportsmanship, and character.

Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee induction. Candidates must receive at least 75% support from the Official Voting Group, which consists of global tennis media, historians, and Hall of Famers. Fans can also influence the result: the top three candidates in the fan vote receive bonus percentage points, with three for first place, two for second, and one for third. A candidate who falls short of 75% in the official vote can still reach the threshold with the fan-vote bonus.

Fan voting for the Class of 2027 is open until Sunday, October 25. The official voting group will cast its ballots later this fall, and the Hall will announce the inductees after the votes are counted.

Barty, del Potro, and Kuznetsova now have their chance to join tennis’ most celebrated names, with Kunieda in contention in the wheelchair category. Serena’s tennis return seems to have put her Hall of Fame timeline on a different path, and her next opportunity will depend on the eligibility rules and her future involvement in competitive tennis.