Serena Williams's Return to Tennis Isn't About Winning. It's About Something Much Sweeter

On Sunday, Williams opened up about the rationale behind her decision in her first press conference since her comeback was confirmed.

Williams, 44, initially retired in 2022. | Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images

Ahead of her much-anticipated return to the court this week, tennis legend Serena Williams has opened up about the motivation behind her big comeback, and the pressure (or lack thereof) she is feeling ahead of that pivotal moment.

“This whole journey is, like, I’m putting no pressure on myself,” Williams told reporters in a pre-Queen’s Club tournament press conference on Sunday. “I’ve had enough pressure. For me, right now, it’s really just about ... It’s so many elements.

“It’s really about my kids getting to see me play,” she continued. “Olympia is a little older, Adira is very young, but it’s also still moments like that. It’s also just [that] an athlete is the best thing that you can be and the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there’s a little of that too.”

Then asked if her doubles comeback might extend to an appearance in a singles draw sometime soon, Williams maintained that "no pressure" attitude in her reply.

“For singles, I can't say ‘yeah,’ I can’t say ‘no.’ Right now, no. I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we’ll see if I get there. If not, that’s not my journey right now.”

To some degree, Williams's comeback has been a long time coming. After officially retiring in 2022, the 23-time Grand Slam winner applied to re-enter the ITIA's International Registered Testing Pool in December 2025, a move that, at the very least, opened the door to a return to competition.

“I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option,” ITIA representative Adrian Bassett told The Athletic at the time. “All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”

That same day, however, Williams vehemently denied comeback speculation in a post on X.

Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025

Asked about that tweet on Sunday, Williams insisted that, although she has now done what the reports claimed she was going to do, she hadn’t had any thoughts about a comeback at that point.

“In December, I definitely was not [planning on coming back,]”she said. “And then [I] was just talking to a few people and chatting about different possibilities of just having fun, and, you know, something a little bit different. And so [I] just kept talking and talking, and then I was, like, well, why not? For lack of a better explanation.”

As one of the most decorated players of all time, she certainly doesn’t need a "better explanation" to grab her racket again; indeed, we fans will take whatever we can get. Plus, her desire to show her kids what she can do is quite sweet, and it’s nice to see that she isn’t focused on one particular outcome.

“I don’t need to win,” she mused. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so, for me, that is not important to me. And it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that because I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just to gain.”

Next up? Her first match back. Williams and doubles partner Victoria Mboko will play No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in the opening round of the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club, starting Monday.

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