Former world No.1 Serena Williams has distanced herself from retirement despite her recent split from coach Patrick Mouratoglou and is eager to make a comeback at Wimbledon in June.
Williams, 40, hasn't played since her disappointing first-round exit at SW19 last year and was held back from competing at the Australian Open at the start of 2022 due to a hamstring injury. Rumours regarding her tennis future went into overdrive this week after Mouratoglou—who has coached Williams since 2012—began a working relationship with rival Simona Halep, at least in the "short term."
But that off-court adjustment won't hold the most decorated women's player of the Open Era back from attempting to win an eighth Wimbledon title, it seems. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the 23-time major champion told her followers she intends to feature in London, at which point she'll have spent a year on the sidelines.
"I am backstage at a Bitcoin conference in Miami with [ Green Bay Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers here," she said via Instagram Stories. "We've been talking about my comeback and he's been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can't wait!"
Rodgers—the four-time and current Most Valuable Player in the NFL —raised resistance at first and asked his fellow superstar "Wimbledon? What about the U.S. Open?" After being informed SW19 fell first in the calendar, Serena's self-appointed 'hype man' smiled as he warned Williams' rivals: "She's back."
The Packers playmaker also referred to his peer as "the G.O.A.T." (greatest of all time) after being introduced, recognition of Williams' achievements on the court despite her prolonged absence. Williams requires just one more Grand Slam title to tie level with Margaret Court for the most major wins in any era,
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Frenchman Mouratoglou has helped coach Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles in total, including her last three Wimbledon crowns. He took to Twitter this week and explained the "door opened" for him to coach Halep after a discussion with his former mentee, though it's unclear how long that partnership will last.
Having recently marked the five-year anniversary of her most recent major success at the 2017 Australian Open, it seems only a matter of time before retirement beckons. Williams and her husband, Reddit founder Alex Ohanian, welcomed the birth of daughter Alexis Olympia later that year, with the star's athletic career inevitable altered as a result.
It will delight many of her fans to learn she plans to compete at Wimbledon, where she'll be eager to avenge last year's early retirement against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. That marked the first time Williams has ever exited the tournament earlier than the third round, with dreams of recapturing her blitzing best at her joint-most successful major.
