Serena Williams, at 44, will shatter myth that women have a ‘use by’ date | Opinion

Serena Williams’ comeback isn’t only for her.

Like the returns of Lindsey Vonn, Allyson Felix and so many other women athletes, Williams’ announcement that she is returning to competitive tennis at 44 is a reminder to the world that women do not have a “use by” date. We can do whatever we please, whenever we damn well please, and we will no longer be bound by the artificial constraints society tries to impose.

We’re too old. We can’t juggle a demanding career with a family. We need to make way for the next generation.

Hogwash.

So long as our bodies cooperate, and advances in medicine make that more and more likely, women can and should continue doing what brings them joy. Especially when they’re the best in the world at it.

Joint pain one reason Serena Williams stepped away from tennis

Williams stepped away from tennis in 2022, in part because she and husband Alexis Ohanian wanted another child. Daughter Adira was born the following year, and Williams focused on her family and investing in people and ventures who were getting overlooked by traditional sources of funding.

But Williams had also been plagued by joint pain that was bad enough to hamper her training since her first pregnancy. It probably also kept her from winning more Grand Slams.

When she began taking a GLP-1 drug, she realized that not only was she losing weight, the joint pain was disappearing. Much as a partial knee replacement made it possible for Vonn to resume her skiing career, this medical advancement opened the door for Williams to play tennis again.

Results not only measure of Serena Williams comeback

Maybe Williams will win another Grand Slam — if you think she’s only coming back to play doubles at The Queen’s Club, you don’t know Serena Williams — maybe she won’t. That’s not the point.

The point is Williams still wants to play. And that is reason enough for her, and anyone else, to keep going.

“Why not?” Williams’ older sister, Venus, said last summer when asked why she was playing again after going more than a year between tournaments.

“Just the pure fun of playing the game, the fun of the challenge, overcoming – when you play, you overcome so many challenges: your opponents, the conditions, a lot of times you have to overcome yourself,” Venus Williams said. “Those things are very exciting.”

For too long, the shelf life for women has been our late 30s or early 40s. Even younger for women athletes. You hit a certain age, and the world essentially wrote you off. It didn’t matter if you had more to give or weren’t ready to give up. The world had decided for you that your purpose had been served.

But women have stopped accepting a lot of “norms” lately. We get married and have children later. Or not at all. We demand equal compensation. We refuse to accept that what we do, say and play has less value simply because we’re women.  

Of course Serena Williams is going to be part of that revolution.

Serena Williams has never let anyone define her

Williams’ greatness has never just been about her tennis. She’s challenged conventions on looks, body type, race, fashion and finance. She played with power and strength, and was unafraid to show it. She spoke her mind on a variety of issues and would not take less than she deserved.

Now she’s going to show the world that playing past her 40^th birthday was just a warmup.

If you have seen any of the videos of Williams hitting in the last couple of months, it is obvious that she can still play. And play well. It should not surprise anyone if she makes a Grand Slam final this year.

“Her return is an expression of her passion for competition,” Valerie Camillo, chair of the WTA, said in a statement, “and I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players.”

Williams has never let anyone define her. In anything. She wants to play tennis again, so she’s going to. It’s a choice she is making, rather than one that’s being imposed on her. That alone is a victory, for Williams and every other woman.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Serena Williams’ return at age 44 will happen on the tennis star’s terms