Serena Williams says she'll 'probably' play singles again after US Open return
The tennis legend opens up about her future on the court and playing at 44.
Serena Williams is leaving the door open to playing singles again.
The 44-year-old tennis legend, who returned to the U.S. Open this year for the first time since 2022, told ESPN's Malika Andrews that she "probably" plans to compete in singles again.
"I probably will play again. I have to...After some of those returns, I think I need to play at least once," Williams said in the interview which aired Monday on "Good Morning America."
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and six-time U.S. Open singles champion, competed in singles earlier this summer at Wimbledon but said an injury there prevented her from doing the same at this year's U.S. Open.
"I injured myself at Wimbledon. And I just didn't have time to recover, unfortunately," Williams said. "And I just didn't want to take any opportunities away from someone if in terms of getting a wild card if I wasn't able to compete at a way that I knew I could."
When Andrews told Williams that many fans hoped to see her compete in a Grand Slam again, Williams replied, "Yeah. I think I will."
"But this isn't something permanent, obviously," she continued. "It's just also really wanting my children to see me play at a different age."
Williams, a mom to daughters Olympia and Adira, said having her children watch her compete is part of what makes this chapter of her career special.
Asked what she hopes to show her daughters by returning to the court at 44, Williams said she wants them to know that "anything is possible."
"You can do anything at any age as long as you work hard and put some effort and dedication behind it," she said.
Motherhood has also changed how Williams prepares for matches, she said.
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"It's always like, 'Where are they? Are they good? Did they eat?'" Williams said.
At this year's U.S. Open, Williams teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles, a partnership she said came together after Alcaraz suggested they play together in New York.
"He's like, 'You know what? You need to come to New York and we'll play mixed together,'" Williams recalled. "And I was like, 'No chance.'"
Williams and Alcaraz won their first match playing together last week, but lost to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4 (4), 4-1 in the mixed doubles quarterfinals on Aug. 25.
Williams is also competing in women's doubles at the U.S. Open, alongside her older sister, Venus Williams, in women's doubles -- a pairing that came at the suggestion of Olympia.
"I was like, 'Who do you think I should play with?'" Serena Williams recalled asking her daughter. "And she looked at me and she was like, 'You need to play with Auntie VV.'"
The Williams sisters received a wild card to play at this year's U.S. Open and will play their first round match this week.
Together, the sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles over the course of their careers, according to the WTA.
