It was always seemingly inevitable that Serena Williams would find her way back to the WTA tour once she became eligible to compete again. Why wouldn’t she? The 23-time Grand Slam winner never officially retired, instead choosing the phrase “evolving away” as she shifted her focus toward “other things that are important to” her. And now, as that much-anticipated date draws closer, Venus Williams appears increasingly convinced that the tennis icon is more than ready for a comeback.

When Venus Williams was asked at the recent TNT broadcasting whether Serena had spoken to her about returning to the WTA Tour six or eight months ago, she quickly dismissed that idea.

“It didn’t happen like that,” Venus Williams quoted. She then explained that she rarely gets to see her younger sister practicing in past days, making it difficult for her to know exactly how much work the 44-year-old has been putting in behind the scenes.

“I think that she hits every now and then. I never see her on the court that often. So I don’t know when she’s been practicing honestly. I’m honest.” Even so, the 7-time Grand Slam winner admitted that Serena’s ability has never really disappeared, no matter how long she stays away from the game.

“ I don’t know how her form is. But what I will tell you is that she (cannot hit) for like four months, and I’ll be hitting, and she’ll come out and grab a racket and running shoes, and just hits a ton out of the ball…It’s incredible.”

The former world No. 1 continued to speak highly of her sister, while understandably keeping some details close to her only.

“So the quality of her stroke is obviously there. She’s, I think, a little bit of a natural. [Laughing] She has a pretty good record, she knows what she’s doing. She’s very tenacious, so I’m not worried about how she’s going to play. Even though, I really haven’t seen her play. It’s so crazy.”

To be fair, Venus’ confidence in Serena’s abilities is not something new. Similar comments have surfaced from her on several occasions in the last year as well.

Back in July 2025, when reporters asked her about Serena potentially returning to the court, Venus did not hide her admiration for Serena.

“I’m her biggest fan,” she said at the time at the Citi DC Open. “She can take six months off and she clocks it clean. You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s just so good.”

The same optimism appeared again earlier in 2026 as well after Serena officially became eligible to compete following her six-month re-entry period in the anti-doping testing pool.

“Oh, man, wouldn’t that be cool? I never see her practising! So, I don’t know where she’s doing it, so.” Later she added, “I think to come back, you have to get out there, so we’ll see if she can put some work in. I mean, of course, playing for exercise is nice, you know? Yeah, there’s a lot of hours that go into it, so we’ll see what happens.”

Now, as the HSBC Championships draws closer and Serena Williams prepares to grace the court again after nearly 4 years away, her return has already sparked widespread discussion across the tennis world, with fans and former players eagerly waiting to see what comes next.

Tennis World reacts as Serena Williams confirms long-awaited return

Serena Williams’ return had been expected for quite some time. Ever since she became eligible again in February, rumors about a comeback seemed to appear from almost every possible direction on the tour.

At this year’s Miami Open, one such moment came when American ace Alycia Parks spoke about Serena. While she admitted, “I don’t know if she’s coming back. I don’t when she’s coming back,” one thing became clear from her comments.

Parks had revealed that she had been practicing with the icon. That alone was enough to fuel speculation that Serena Williams was preparing for something behind the scenes.

Even when her tweet on December 3, “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-” appeared, what stood out was that Serena appeared fully aware of the comeback rumors surrounding her, even if she chose not to address them directly.

That same approach continued during her appearance on the Today Show this January. Despite being asked repeatedly by Savannah Guthrie about her comeback, she consistently denied that a return was in the works, leaving many questions unanswered.

Everything finally changed when Queen’s Club Championships officially announced that Williams had received a wildcard for the doubles draw. 

The announcement immediately sparked reactions across the tennis world. Current world No. 4 Coco Gauff was among the first players to respond, posting on Instagram, “Dreams come true”. Serena’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, also reacted to her Instagram post, where she shared the caption, “Good news travels fast,” leaving a surprised-face emoji in the comments. 

Andy Roddick joined the excitement as well, writing, “Let’s go.” from his official podcast account.

Now, as the comeback date draws closer, anticipation continues to build. It will be a special moment to see Williams return to grass courts once again, a surface that she has often said gave her some of the most memorable moments of her legendary career.