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Serena Williams was recently spotted in the ITIA’s International Registered Testing Pool, a fact that immediately fueled speculation that she may be preparing the groundwork for a comeback. But as the story spread online, the 23-time Grand Slam champion issued a firm denial that she’s planning to return. Did the news simply surface before she intended it to? And if a comeback isn’t on the horizon, why undergo the demands of rigorous anti-doping testing?
The last tournament Serena played was the 2022 US Open. As journalist Ben Rothenberg points out, the day after her final match, she formally notified the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of her retirement, which exempted her from providing daily whereabouts for out-of-competition drug testing.
As Rothenberg further investigates, Serena’s name remains on the ITIA’s list of retired players and has not yet shown up on the list of reinstated athletes. However, players are only added to the reinstatement list after they have completed the required six months back in the testing pool and not while that six-month period is still underway.
Altogether, the information strongly suggests that Serena is preparing for a return to competition, with many fans speculating that she may be aiming to play doubles with her still-active sister Venus, who has never retired and plans to kick off her 2026 season in Auckland. Since Serena has been back in the testing pool since at least October 2025, she would become eligible to compete again by April 2026 at the earliest.
When reports of a possible comeback began circulating, Serena quickly shut down the speculations, writing: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.” Still, the question lingers: why reenter the whereabouts program at all? The system requires athletes to update their location daily and be available for testing, which is hardly something anyone undertakes without serious intent.
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