“ITIA included the famous American woman in the current pool of doping testing”, — write: sport.ua
Serena has not played in an official match since she reached the third round of the US Open in 2022. At the time, Serena said her retirement from the sport was an “evolutionary process” rather than a final decision to end her career, in September of that year she filed with the ITIA to be exempted from the strict residency requirements applied to active players to allow for surprise doping tests.
To return to competition, players must undergo a six-month non-competitive testing process [перебувати в пулі]before they are allowed to participate in the tournament.
Williams’ name appeared in the updated list of tested on October 6. An ITIA official confirmed that Williams had applied to have her status reinstated in the pool, but stressed that being on the list does not mean she is back.
“Serena Williams is back on the list for testing,” an ITIA spokesman said, adding that players returning after a long layoff must be available for testing for six months before they can return to competition, according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.
Later that day, Williams herself publicly denied rumors of her comeback: “Oh my god, I’m NOT coming back. These rumors are just fire,” she wrote on the X social network.
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
Williams’ representatives have yet to comment on her intentions
The ITIA pool is not all active players, but mainly top singles and doubles tennis players, as well as those returning after a long break.
IN The Guardian reports that Williams was considering a comeback even earlier. The attempt to get into the pool was made in August, just before the US Open, probably with the aim of playing in a pair with sister Venus. However, those plans collapsed when it became clear that the six-month window for testing could not be shortened.
Venus Williams, 45, has never formally retired from tennis, so she didn’t have to go through the same procedural steps. She returned this year after a 16-month layoff, winning singles in Washington, going three sets with world No. 11 Karolina Mukhova in New York and reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open in women’s doubles with Leila Fernandez. She plans to resume her competitive program in Oakland early next season.
Williams’ reinstatement to the ITIA pool does not guarantee her return, but does restore her eligibility for tournaments. If she is not excluded from the pool, she will be able to return to competition in at least mid-2026. It is not yet known whether she will again participate in singles tournaments, will return to a pair with Venus, or will simply leave the opportunity for this to herself.
Americans in the ITIA pool
