Serena Williams Will Play Tennis Again If Her Sister Asks

Venus Williams and Serena Williams attend HISTORYTalks in Washington, DC.Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Breaking news: Serena Williams might come out of retirement for one reason and one reason only –– to play with her sister, Venus.

“I know Serena has evolved away from tennis and she has said she hates the word retirement,” Venus shared on Instagram. “She [Serena] has promised to hit with me anytime I want to, in the case that I don’t want to evolve away from tennis.”

Venus knows that fans across the country have been waiting for news like this. She addressed more of the internet’s burning questions on YouTube. “Tap the link in my bio to find out the #1 question you’ve been asking me...What’s next,” she captioned her Instagram post.

Fans expressed their excitement in the comments: “Pls don’t retire Vee 😭🙏🙏 hope you play next year 🥺💕🙏🙏,” someone wrote, while another chimed “Legends dont stray.. we are always there. 😎🤙🏽”

Venus said that although she doesn’t have any immediate plans or decisions about what’s next for her playing career, the 42-year-old is “staying strong and in the gym.”

“I’m still hitting balls, it brings me so much joy,” she said on YouTube. “Putting in the work makes me feel good and it takes away anxiety.”

Winners of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, the sisters reunited on court at the 2022 U.S. Open for one last major, having accepted a wild card into the tournament. They had last played doubles together in the 2018 French Open, when they reached the round of 16.

“She’s the boss so I do whatever she tells me to do,” Venus told reporters, explaining that the return was Serena’s idea. During her final tournament, Serena called Venus her “rock” and noted how special it was to have Venus along for her farewell tour.

“I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus,” she said after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round in what would be her final match. “Thank you, Venus. She’s the only reason Serena Williams ever existed.”

Serena has been keeping herself busy post-retirement. After her fantastic five-day run at the U.S. Open, Williams strutted down red carpets at New York Fashion Week and released a children’s book called “The Adventures of Qai Qai.”

Serena Williams attends the Michael Kors fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Highline Stages in New York City. 

Gotham/Getty Images

In August, Serena revealed the reason behind her retirement in a first-person essay for Vogue. The 41-year-old is ready to expand her family with husband Alex Ohanian. Their daughter, Olympia, turned 5 during her mother’s U.S. Open stay.

“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Serena wrote. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”