Serena Williams officially reinstated as an active tennis player

It seems that Serena Williams' comeback will soon become a reality after she was officially reinstated as an active player.

The 23-time major winner has played her last professional tennis match at the 2022 US Open. She heroically beat Danka Kovinic and Anett Kontaveit in the first two rounds before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in a three-set epic in the third round.

Serena also played a doubles match together with her sister Venus at the event, but the duo lost in the first round to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.

Four years later, we could see the Williams sisters back on the courts together. Venus has been active in 2026, playing three singles and two doubles matches. Serena, on the other hand, hasn't played an official tennis match since 2022, but she has made the necessary steps to play one again.

In December 2025, it became known that Serena Williams asked to be added to the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) testing pool once again. Tennis players need to be tested for banned substances if they want to compete on the ATP and WTA Tours and Grand Slams.

At the time, Williams made a brief statement, saying she was not coming back, but former players and pundits unanimously agreed that no one would ever ask to be added to the ITIA testing pool without having the desire to compete, as being tested for banned substances includes having to disclose ones location 24/7, and players sometimes need to provide a sample very early in the morning.

Now, on February 22nd, 2026, Serena Williams has officially been reinstated by the ITIA. That means she has been "available for out-of-competition testing for at least six months" and likely underwent some doping tests as well.

For now, it's not clear when the 44-year-old legend of the sport plans to come back, but the fact that she will indeed return to the tennis courts seems to be inevitable.

Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, recently spoke to the French publication L’Équipe and stated that Williams' return to the tennis courts seems to be certain at the moment.