If you ask me, I’ll have the receipts. For the past couple of years, I have felt that Serena Williams was primed for a comeback on the world’s tennis stage. Since her abrupt (in my opinion) retirement in 2022, Williams has spent much of her time continuing to cultivate her businesses and spending time with her family.

In both instances, she has absolutely earned the right to do so. But all the while, I just felt that she had unfinished business on the court. As an aging athlete, it would seem that Father Time caught up with the 23-time major champion. Maybe it did. But I also believed that with a longer layoff to heal her body a bit more, she might be able to get herself ready for a comeback.

A life of shuffleboard and Pokeno

Once Williams settled into retirement, I began seeing her post content about her workouts. This began to get my wheels turning. Her retirement to me just seemed too out of left field and sudden. It was anticlimactic and deserved a bit more fanfare. I wanted a full retirement tour for the tennis legend. Instead, she graciously bowed out and accepted the love of the fans at the 2022 U.S. Open at the end of the third round.

Williams’ power never waned as far as my eyes could see. However, if there were anything that I think could help her game in the present day, it would just be the ability to maintain crisp lateral movement over a prolonged period. Playing from behind was becoming way too prevalent in some of her later matches. When that happens, you have such a small margin for error. We (yes, we) just can’t afford that.

There could be hope

Imagine my delight when Williams began to serve as an ambassador for the GLP-1 brand Ro. Of course, as we know, GLP-1s are becoming more accessible to help people manage their metabolic issues. It results in significant weight loss many times. Admittedly, Williams stated that managing her weight has always been an issue for her. She could’ve fooled me! But that’s neither here nor there. The bottom line here is that her new svelte figure can make her more mobile on the court.

If you’re keeping score, I’ve simply been taking note of what seems like subliminal messaging to me. At the core of it all is Williams’ competitiveness. But outside of that, one of the most telling clues came about last week. The seven-time Wimbledon champion recently re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s anti-doping pool. This is a move usually taken by players who are in or re-entering the sport competitively. Now, for the record, Williams has denied rumors of her return. However, I think she wants to make her announcement on her own time, and she deserves to. Her name is synonymous with greatness and the sport.

I’ll see you on the court

Selfishly, I just would love to see Williams compete after having time to devote to her wellness. She has to be curious as to how she would fare in today’s landscape. Just imagine, what if this works?! One more run at beating Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles for a woman. I’m not saying it’s keeping Williams up at night, but damn it, it has to cross her mind during her morning cup of Joe, the same way it crosses mine during a late-night sip of peanut butter hot chocolate.