All eyes were on Serena Williams this week following reports that she might be considering a return to tennis.
On Tuesday, news came out that she had rejoined the ITIA testing pool, which is something every player has to do before returning to the ATP or WTA Tour.
But Williams later put those rumours to rest by saying she wasn’t planning a comeback, although some fans still weren’t entirely convinced.
Patrick Mouratoglou, who previously coached Williams, decided to give his take on the situation.
Mouratoglou says he “doesn’t believe” Serena will return
Mouratoglou made an appearance on Tennis Majors’ ‘Eye of the Coach’ podcast and gave his thoughts on the talk surrounding her potential return.
“I was asked about Serena in Australia. I said ‘no chance’, and when I saw that there was a hint from her side (of returning), it made me smile. But I don’t think so.”
Williams’ decision in 2020 came during an uncertain time for many athletes. The pandemic had forced many into early retirements or extended breaks as events were cancelled and training became difficult.
Patrick Mouratoglou says Serena Williams looks ‘in perfect shape,’ and adds that ‘nothing is impossible’
Speaking on ‘The Sports Agents’, Mouratoglou was asked whether Williams might be looking for a new challenge by returning to the court.
“I think she has a lot of challenges in her life at the moment. She has two kids, it’s new. They are still young, and it’s a new journey. She is doing a lot of things in business and has her own fund, plus a lot of other things on the side,” he said.
“She has challenges, but nothing will ever replace competition in tennis or being number one in the world. Having so much pressure, it’s tough for everyone to be away from this daily pressure. I don’t know, and I cannot speak for her [if she is coming back].”
Mouratoglou didn’t want to speak for her but did speak to the ‘feasibility’ of a potential comeback.
“Serena is Serena. There is only one in history. She has been able to achieve things in the past that I thought, and everybody would think is impossible,” he said.
“Winning a Grand Slam with a 40-degree fever the whole tournament, on paper, it is impossible, but she did it.
Mouratoglou gave his assessment of Williams’ current physical condition as well: “Definitely being perfectly in shape, which looks like it is the case at the moment, is a big asset,” said Mouratoglou.
Serena Williams played her last professional match at the 2022 US Open
Williams used her Protected Ranking to enter the 2022 US Open, where she faced Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in the opening round.
She advanced comfortably, winning 6-3, 6-3, and then faced second seed Anett Kontaveit in the next round.
Williams took a close first set in a tiebreak before Kontaveit responded strongly to level the match. The decider saw Williams regain control to move into the third round for the 21st time in her career.
Her next opponent was Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, who had already knocked out Karolina Muchova earlier in the tournament.
Tomljanovic won their opening set before Williams rallied back. But it was Tomljanovic who came through three sets to move forward.
This defeat was thought to be Williams’ farewell appearance. However, with speculation swirling around her return, there’s now a possibility she could play again. Venus said: “All I know is that I can’t get her on the court. She doesn’t practice.”
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