Serena Williams may have retired back in 2022, but her sister Venus is still competing and knows best how to lift her spirits. After being labeled “inactive” by the WTA in April 2025 following nearly a year away from the tour, Venus came back in July 2025 at the Washington D.C. Open (Citi Open).  Even though her absence was about 16 months but she still dominated. Now, just weeks after her comeback, Serena finally broke the silence and shared her feelings about watching her sister compete again.

Just recently, Serena has opened up about how it feels to see her sister competing again. Speaking on the Today YouTube channel, she couldn’t hide her excitement when asked if she would be cheering Venus on at the US Open: “Right, I’m so excited. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will be cheering her on and rooting her on the whole way.” For weeks, Serena Williams stayed silent on her sister’s comeback victory. Even when Venus won her opening match in Washington earlier this summer, it was Serena’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, who celebrated it publicly, posting “LFG @venuswilliams” along with a snapshot of her triumph. But now, finally, she did.

But how exactly is Venus competing in the US Open? Well, she received a wild card into the singles main draw. In addition, she is allowed to play in the newly reimagined mixed doubles event, pairing up with Reilly Opelka after the duo was granted a wild card entry. But Serena still has more to say.

As Serena added in an interview, “Pretty excited about what she’s doing. Remarkable.”  Undoubtedly, she is. Like we saw on July 22, 2025, her first match, Venus made her singles return and faced 23-year-old Peyton Stearns. But still she won 6-3, 6-4. Hence, becoming the oldest woman to win a WTA Tour-level singles match in 21 years. And also, just recently, Venus played in the U.S. Open.

On August 19–20, she and Reilly Opelka faced Karolína Muchová and Andrey Rublev in the opening round and lost 4–2, 5–4 (7–4), marking Venus’ first match and exit from the mixed doubles draw. However, her campaign is not over yet. Venus is scheduled to play singles on Sunday, August 24. But the question on everyone’s mind remains: while Venus is back, could Serena also make a return?

Serena Williams finally answers the question everyone keeps asking

Serena Williams retired in 2022 after being placed among the greatest athletes of all time. Yet, three years later, fans still cling to the same question: Will she ever come back? That question only grew louder in recent weeks, especially as her sister Venus Williams returned to competition. Even Venus herself admitted that she misses sharing the court with her younger sister. And also, hinted that she hopes Serena might one day join her again. But finally, Serena cleared it today.

Appearing on the Today show with Craig Melvin, she was asked about the constant stream of fans urging her return: “The U.S. Open is underway. You spent years, a couple decades, smashing records. Do you get tired of people coming up to you and saying, ‘Serena, when are you coming back? You coming back? You look great. Looks like you are training to come back?’” Her answer was honest and revealing.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I get tired of it; I don’t really hear the noise or listen to it, ” Serena Williams added,” I kind of mute out everything, gotten good at muting out the noise,” she explained. “But, you know, it’s a sport I love. I think there’s always a part that will miss it, because when you do something for your entire life from the day you remember, you always had a goal, and then one day you wake up and that’s not your goal anymore. It’s a huge change.” Well,  Serena does miss the game, but still she chose to prioritize her family and personal life. Her retirement was a decision to evolve away from tennis so she could dedicate herself to raising her daughter, and she is doing so!