Former coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, has recently expressed strong confidence in the WTA legend’s potential comeback as she is drawing closer to her eligibility date. Williams had sparked speculation about her return after entering the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s testing pool, a required step for players who want to return to professional competition.
Patrick Mouratoglou Reflects His Belief in Serena Williams’ Comeback, Citing Her Elite Stature
Williams has led a decorated career in the sport, amassing 73 WTA Tour singles titles, of which 23 are major titles. Apart from these iconic feats, she has also clinched 23 doubles titles with her sister Venus and four Olympic gold medals, three in doubles and one in singles.
The recipient of the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Sport had retired from professional competition after competing at the 2022 US Open, where she lost her third-round match to Ajla Tomljanović.
Since then, the mother of two, Adira River Ohanian, 2, and Alexis Olympia Ohanian, 8, whom she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian, the former co-founder and executive chairman of Reddit, has been involved in her family life alongside her business endeavours.
She surprised the entire tennis community and the elite personalities when her name reappeared on the ITIA players’ list of the registered testing pool in October last year, as confirmed by their spokesperson, Adrian Bassett. According to the rules, a player who wants to return to the competition must complete 6 months of testing before they can play.
On Feb. 22, 2026, the legendary player becomes eligible to enter the competition, but she hasn’t yet selected a date to return. However, her former coach, under whom she trained from 2012 to 2022, and won 10 Grand Slams and completed a career Golden Slam, believes she can make a successful comeback given her history in the sport and her elite form.
He mentioned, as per L’Équipe, “With her, anything is possible. If anyone is capable of attempting such a comeback, it’s Serena. I wouldn’t be surprised if she returned. She loves challenges too much, and if she decides to go for it, she won’t back down. I believe in her, and it would make me so happy to see her back on the courts.”
Williams has still maintained her roots in the sport, engaging in practice sessions with her children and recently practising with former World No. 40 Alycia Parks. The latter, who was impressed with her form at 44, reflected, “She is in great shape. So I think she would kill it on tour.”
Earlier during her interview on the ‘Today Show’ with Savannah Guthrie, Williams remained coy when she was asked about her return, expressing, “That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.” After speculation rose when her name reappeared on the list, Williams also mentioned in an X post that she is not planning to return.
