Tennis great Serena Williams has fuelled speculation about a possible return to professional tennis, saying she is keeping her options open rather than shutting the door on a comeback.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, now 44 and a mother of two, has not played competitively since her third-round exit at the 2022 US Open. However, rumours of a return gathered momentum after she re-entered the tennis anti-doping testing pool in December, a move typically required of players planning a comeback.

Williams initially dismissed talk of a return, but when asked again on Wednesday during an appearance on the Today show, she declined to give a definitive answer.

“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” she said.

Pressed on whether that meant yes or no to a comeback, Williams replied: “That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know. I’m just going to see what happens.”

Asked about rejoining the anti-doping testing programme, she appeared evasive. “Did I re-enter? I didn’t know if I was out. Listen, I can’t discuss this,” she said.

During the ongoing Australian Open, former world number one Jim Courier, now a television analyst, highlighted how demanding the anti-doping testing pool is for athletes. Players must provide detailed information on their whereabouts and remain available for testing, completing a minimum of six months before being cleared to return to competition.

“No person who doesn’t have intentions to play professional tennis is going to put themselves in that list, especially someone with as much experience as Serena Williams,” Courier said.

“Serena denied in December that she’s coming back, but unless she gets injured, I don’t doubt she’ll play somewhere at some point,” he added, suggesting possibilities ranging from singles to doubles or even mixed doubles.

Williams and her sister Venus are one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history, having won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, as well as three Olympic gold medals.

For now, Serena Williams remains non-committal, but her words and actions continue to keep fans guessing.