On Tuesday, Serena Williams shook the tennis world with an exciting career update. The 23-Grand-Slam Champion tweeted, “I’m ready to hit some balls again.” While further information on the subject still remains a mystery, the post has created a new sense of enthusiasm in the sporting community. Patrick McEnroe, the former tennis pro and John McEnroe’s brother, is also not immune to it, as he reflected on the possibilities of the event recently.
On May 23, the “SportsWrap with Jason Page” podcast host, Jason Page, sat down for an interview with the former U.S. Davis Cup captain, Patrick McEnroe. When the conversation drifted to the women’s tennis part, Page asked McEnroe about the recent headlines made by Serena Williams through her cryptic post. McEnroe explained his thoughts on the matter in a hopeful, yet practical manner.
“While she’s hosting the ESPYs. Right. So that’s, that’s big. I saw that announcement. That’s usually right after Wimbledon,” McEnroe began his statement. “So you know, she’s a two kids now. I’ll never say never. I mean, there’s only one Serena. So we’d love to see your comeback,” he stated further.
As rightly pointed out by McEnroe, Serena Williams is debuting as a host in the 32nd edition of the ESPY Awards this July, a place where she earned 12 awards herself. While this journey is indeed special, McEnroe also hinted at the other aspect of the story. Williams, who retired in 2022, stated her desire to expand her family as the reason for her retirement. The mother of Olympia and Adira, Williams, once admitted, “I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals, and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena.”
Weighing all of this, along with the required fitness to make a comeback, McEnroe further stated the impracticality of the situation. “I don’t think it’s gonna happen. I mean, if she wants to do it, but you know, it would take take a tremendous amount of work, right, you know, for her to get back in shape and in a match shape and all that. So, you know, I don’t see it happening,” McEnroe concluded. However, according to Williams, her reign in tennis is not over yet.
Serena Williams announced back in 2022 that she wants to “evolve away from tennis.” But, interestingly, her U.S. Open match after the announcement was not confirmed as her official retirement match. However, she received lavish tributes before each match in that tournament. And later that year, Serena Williams admitted, “I am not retired,” during a press conference in San Francisco while promoting Serena Ventures.
She further added, “The chances (of a return) are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court. I still haven’t really thought about (retirement).” While Serena Williams continues to surprise fans in her own unique ways, one thing is clear. Be it on-court or off-court, her legacy will remain untouched forever, irrespective of whether she returns to the court or not.
