صدر الصورة، Getty Images
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- Author, مات ديفيز
- Role, صحفي رياضي رئيسي – بي بي سي سبورت
Serena Williams is eligible to return to professional tennis as soon as Sunday, February 22nd, but it remains unclear if the American icon will make a comeback, or when that might happen.
Williams’ name appeared on the list of players eligible to return, released by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Monday, meaning she can participate in tournaments starting on the specified date, according to confirmation from the agency to BBC Sport.
However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has not formally announced her return following her retirement at the 2022 US Open.
BBC Sport reached out to Williams’ agent and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for comment.
Retired players can be reinstated to official competition and participate in sanctioned tournaments after undergoing drug testing outside of competition for at least six months.
In December, the International Tennis Federation confirmed to BBC Sport that Williams had rejoined the registered player pool for anti-doping testing.
Once enrolled in the program, players must provide their whereabouts for one hour each day for testing purposes.
Hours later, Williams, 44, posted on social media: “I’m not coming back. This is insane.”
She then walked back the statement in late January, telling “Today Demonstrate”: “I don’t know, I’ll just see what happens.”
Savannah Guthrie pressed Williams further, saying “Maybe for me,” to which the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion replied: “Definitely not.”
When asked if she had rejoined the anti-doping testing program, Williams said: “I don’t know… Appear, I can’t discuss that.”
“If I wanted to put an end to this rumor… Look, I just aim for to sleep.”
Williams previously discussed using weight loss medication in August and appeared in a commercial for one such drug during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has never embraced the word “retirement,” stating she was “evolving away from tennis” when she concluded her career in New York.
Only Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic have more Grand Slam singles titles.
صدر الصورة، Reuters
Williams’ impressive record includes seven Australian Open titles, three French Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, and six US Open titles – the most Grand Slam singles titles won by any player in the Open Era.
Along with older sister Venus, who remains active on the WTA tour, she has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals together.
