Serena Williams takes step necessary to return to professional tennis by reentering international anti-doping testing pool

More than three years since playing her last match, 23-time grand slam singles champion Serena Williams recently has taken a step that would be necessary should she want to return to professional tennis.

Williams, 44, appears on a list on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) website showing players registered in the international testing pool. The document is dated October 6, 2025.

Williams last played in 2022, when she lost in the US Open to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović. At the time, she did not use the word “retirement,” instead saying she was “evolving away from tennis.”

Appearing on the list doesn’t necessarily mean Williams will return to competitive action. CNN Sports has reached out to Williams’ representatives, the WTA Tour and the ITIA for comment.

Adrian Bassett, a spokesperson for the ITIA, told The Athletic on Tuesday: “She has notified us that she wants to be reinstated into the testing pool. I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option. All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”

Williams is still shown on the ITIA retired players list, showing her as retired since September 3, 2022.

Retired players may not compete unless they’ve given at least six months’ written notice of their intent to return to tournament play as well as make themselves available for testing for a period of six months before returning to competition, according to tennis anti-doping rules.

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