While Venus Williams made history by becoming the oldest player to win a WTA-level match in over 21 years at 45, fans keep wondering if the same is possible for Serena Williams at 44. But this week, she gave us a glimpse of a very different kind of hustle!

Just hours ago, she made a brutally honest confession on X about the physical toll of raising two little ones.

“I’m so tired I can feel fatigue in my feet. These kids…… 🥵,” Serena Williams perfectly captured the exhaustion that doesn’t come from a three-set match, but from chasing after toddlers.

Serena Williams had two daughters with Reddit co-founder and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian, whom she met in Rome in 2015. Their whirlwind romance led to an engagement in 2016 at the very hotel where they first met, followed by a star-studded, Disney-themed wedding in New Orleans in November 2017.

That same year, they welcomed their first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., known as Olympia, in September, just months after Serena won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Then, in August 2023, their family grew with their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, whose name beautifully means “mighty” or “strong” in Hebrew.

Serena Williams’ life has looked very different since she stepped away from professional tennis after the 2022 US Open.

In her final appearance that year, she fought through a tough three-set battle against Ajla Tomljanović before exiting the tournament. It marked the end of an extraordinary chapter, one that included 23 Grand Slam singles titles (the most in the Open Era), along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus Williams. She also won four Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008, and 2012 (3 in doubles and 1 single in 2012), cementing her place as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Over the years, Serena Williams has suggested in interviews that as demanding as winning majors can be, it doesn’t quite compare to the nonstop responsibilities of parenting.

In a summer 2022 essay for Vogue, she explained that she wasn’t “retiring” but rather “evolving” away from tennis.

But her comeback rumors never fully disappeared.

Still, the buzz grew louder when training footage of Serena surfaced online.

But last December, she had clarified that she had no immediate plans to return, even after notifying the International Tennis Integrity Agency of her intention to rejoin the International Registered Testing Pool. During an appearance on Today, she repeatedly shut down comeback talk in an interview with Savannah Guthrie.

The rumors picked up again in early 2026 when reports surfaced that she had re-entered the professional drug-testing pool. Especially after she was seen training with Alycia Parks, a current top-100 WTA player.

In a short 20-second clip, the two traded fast groundstrokes, reigniting excitement across the tennis world. Now that Serena has been reinstated as an active player by the ITIA, the comeback chatter feels louder than ever.

Even so, Serena has mostly poured her energy into her growing business ventures and her life at home.

She now runs Serena Ventures, a firm that invests in underrepresented founders. In 2024, she launched WYN Beauty, a clean makeup brand created for active lifestyles. She’s also a minority owner of teams like the Miami Dolphins and Angel City FC, expanding her influence well beyond tennis.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams has opened up about her sister’s return.

Is Serena Williams really training? Venus Williams isn’t so sure

After her 2026 ATX Open run in Texas, Venus Williams was asked if she would ever team up with her younger sister again.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion smiled at the idea and said, “Oh man, wouldn’t that be cool?”

But she couldn’t resist a little playful jab.

“I never see her practicing, though.”

When told there’s video of Serena hitting, Venus doubled down: “But I don’t know where she’s doing it.”

Then she got a bit more serious: “To come back, you have to get out there,” Venus remarked.

“We’ll see if she can put some work in. Playing for exercise is nice, but there are a lot of hours that go into it. So we’ll see what happens,” added Venus Williams, who came after a tough week in Austin, where the 45-year-old lost in the opening round of singles to Ajla Tomljanović, 4-6, 1-6.

Interestingly, back in December, the International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed to BBC Sport that Serena Williams had re-entered the registered testing pool. That’s no small step.

It requires daily one-hour whereabouts updates and makes a player eligible for out-of-competition testing, a system strictly for active competitors.

At the time, though, Serena Williams tried to quiet the rumors, posting, “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”

But not long after, during an appearance on Today, her tone shifted slightly.

“I don’t know; I’m just going to see what happens.”

There’s finally some clarity: Serena Williams is no longer listed as retired on the ITIA website, confirming she has completed the mandatory six-month testing period required to compete again. Her eligibility is no longer in doubt.