Serena Williams: 23-time Grand Slam winner says chance of tennis return is ‘very high’ - what she said

Serena Williams was believed to have played her last professional tournament when she featured in the US Open earlier this year. The 41-year-old announced she would be ‘evolving away from the sport’ in an essay she wrote for Vogue in August. However, a recent conference in which she was promoting her investment company Serena Ventures, the 23-time Grand Slam winner said her chances of returning were ‘very high’.

Williams did not explicitly confirm that the US Open in September would be her farewell competition but upon her exit at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic, the 41-year-old was met with tributes and hails of ‘the greatest of all time.” Those who praised her tremendous career included basketball star LeBron James, Michell Obama and Opray Winfrey.

What did Serena Williams say?

Speaking at the conference in San Francisco on Monday 24 October, Williams said: “The chances (of a return) are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court. I am not retired. I still haven’t really thought about retirement.

“But I did wake up the other day and go on the court and (considered) for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition, and it felt really weird. It was like the first day of the rest of my life and I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find that balance.”

What did Serena Williams write in Vogue?

In her initial announcement that pointed towards retirement, the 41-year-old said: “I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

What happened at the US Open?

Following her first round defeat at Wimbledon and Cincinnati Masters, Williams reached the third round of what was thought to be her final tournament at the US Open before losing to Ajla Tomjlanovic. The first round saw her defeat Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-3 before beating Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2 in the second.

Williams lost the first set in the third round 7-5 to Tomljanovic before coming back to take the second 7-6 (7-4). However, she ultimately succumbed to the Australian who went on to take the deciding set 6-1 and fans thought they had witnessed the 23-time Grand slam champion’s final match.

What is Serena Williams’ net worth?

According to CelebrityNetWorth, Williams has an estimated networth of $250million. She is the highest-earning female tennis player and has earned roughly $30-40m from on-court earnings and endorsements every year in recent times. Between June 2019 and June 2020, it is estimated Williams earned $35million, of which $20m came from endorsements.

Overall, Williams has earned more than $90m in career prize money with other incomes coming from fashion, acting and her investment company Serena Ventures.