Serena Williams sparked quite the excitement in the tennis world on Tuesday when it was announced she applied to be reinstated to enter the players’ drug testing pool. This seemingly felt like a big step towards possibly unretiring to return to professional tennis in some capacity.
But, apparently that’s not her plan. Hours after the initial news dropped, Williams sent out a simple tweet shutting down the rumors. Unfortunately for hopeful tennis fans, the 23-time major champion is not returning to the tennis court in a professional setting.
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-“ Williams tweeted.
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
At least the speculation can end now.
When Williams “evolved” away from tennis in 2022, she registered to retire with the International Tennis Integrity Agency in order for her to stop being randomly drug tested. Back in October, she applied with the ITIA to re-enter the International Registered Testing Pool.
This application does, however, leave the door open for Williams to return to tennis if she changes her mind in the future. But, for now, Williams plans to stay in retirement.
Williams last played in a professional tournament at the 2022 U.S. Open. She competed in singles, notably making it to the third round, and then in women’s doubles alongside her sister Venus. When the news dropped on Tuesday, fans wondered if the Williams sisters were attempting to reunite at the 2026 U.S. Open.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Serena Williams Makes Definitive Statement On Unretirement Rumors With Simple Tweet.
