'I am not retired,' Serena Williams drops hints of comeback
What's the story
Tennis legend Serena Williams hinted at her comeback in her latest statement. During a press conference in San Francisco, the 41-year-old stated that she has not retired from tennis yet. Williams, who bid adieu to the sport at the US Open, also said that the chances of her returning are "very high". She bowed out after losing her third-round match to Ajla Tomljanovic.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Williams announced her decision to retire in the September edition of Vogue magazine. Although Williams refrained from the word "retirement" in her essay, she wrote that it is her time to "evolve away from tennis". The 23-time Grand Slam winner had a grand farewell at the US Open thereafter. It remains to be seen if the American legend returns to the tour.
Twitter Post
WATCH: Williams' farewell speech at the US Open
A speech worth of the 🐐@serenawilliams | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/0twItGF0jq
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2022
Statement
Still haven't really thought about retirement: Williams
"I am not retired. The chances (of a return) are very high. I have a court," Williams said at a conference. "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."
Form
How did Williams fare in 2022?
Williams defeated Danka Kovinic and Anett Kontaveit while she lost to Tomljanovic at the US Open. Earlier, Williams lost to Emma Raducanu at the Western and Southern Open. The former crashed out of the Canadian Open, losing to Belinda Bencic. Williams lost to Harmony Tan at Wimbledon. Before 2022 Wimbledon, Williams last competed at the 2021 French Open where she lost to Elena Rybakina.
Titles
Most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era
Williams has won the most number of Grand Slams (women's singles) in the Open Era. She is just one short of Margaret Court (24), who owns the joint-most major title wins overall. Steffi Graf (22), Chris Evert (18), and Martina Navratilova (18) follow Williams on the tally. Among the current players, Serena's sister, Venus Williams, is next with only seven titles.
Numbers
Her incredible numbers at Grand Slams
Williams clinched the first of her majors in 1999 by winning the US Open (six titles). In 2017, she won her seventh Australian Open title, the most in the Open Era. The American also owns as many titles at Wimbledon. Williams has won the French Open thrice in 2002, 2013, and 2015 respectively. She has a win-loss record of 367-56 at majors.
Records
Her monumental records!
Williams is the only player (male or female) to win three of the four majors six times (US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon). She is only the third player to achieve a Career Grand Slam in singles and doubles (along with sister Venus) after Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova. Williams has spent 186 consecutive weeks as the top-ranked WTA player, joint-most with Graf.