At this year's US Open, Serena Williams played her last professional tennis match on the WTA Tour, but she has hinted at her comeback numerous times since then.
Tennis fans worldwide were emotional when Williams bid farewell to tennis at the US Open after a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round. The tennis legend had shocked Anett Kontaveit in the second round at Flushing Meadows.
Defeating a player of Kontaveit's class in her final tournament was an outstanding achievement regardless of any other circumstances, but it is even more impressive considering Williams only returned from 12 months out with a severe injury during the grass-court season.
Williams was nominated for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year Award for managing despite being 40 years old at the time(she is now 41). Much of her old magic was present in the matches she played.
It felt like Williams would have continued to improve if she had not retired. That has led to speculation about whether the 23-time Grand Slam champion might reverse her decision to retire and return in 2023.
Williams has only added to that speculation by not ruling out a comeback. The tennis legend recently said she did not know whether the match against Tomljanovic was her last as a professional player.
"I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena. Technically in the world I'm still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I'm still walking."
"(I) don't know (if it was my last match). I'm not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though (smiling). But yeah, you know what, I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon."
Williams has now caused further speculation after posting a picture of her racket on social media, with a caption that clearly demonstrates how much she misses tennis.
"I'm a little bored."