Former tennis number 1 Serena Williams, who is now 44, has been cleared to compete again in the WTA Grand Slam tournaments, but has not yet revealed what her immediate plans are, AFP reported, BTA reported.
In order to return to the court, the winner of 23 Grand Slam titles had to be available for six months for unexpected doping tests. That period expired today, and the American is eligible to compete in professional tournaments of her choice.
"Unless she gets injured, there's no doubt she'll be back playing," former men's number 1 Jim Currier said in January.
Serina Williams initially denied reports of her return to the court, but after her sister Venus returned, she's less certain. "Neither yes nor no. I don't know, we'll see what happens," she said on the "Today" show in January. Asked why she returned to the anti-doping program, she gave a general answer: "Have I come back? I don't know if I've been out. Look, there's nothing more to say," said the mother of two.
American Alicia Parks, who is ranked 77th in the UTA rankings, revealed in early February that she had been training with Serena Williams for a few days. "She's in great shape. I think she's going to make a splash on the court," she said at the time.
During her last tournament, the 2022 US Open, Serena didn't say goodbye to the audience. She has not been ranked since September 2022 and depends on invitations from tournament organizers. However, this is not a problem, given that she is among the greatest tennis players in history, and her sister Venus was invited to the UTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati and the Australian Open.
After the tournament in Austin (February 23 - March 1), there will be two more major tournaments in the US in March - the UTA 1000 in Indiana Wells and in Miami, which would invite Serena without a problem.
"Anything is possible with her. If there is anyone who is capable of such a comeback, it is her," her former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently told the newspaper "Equip".