According to media reports, Serena Williams is considering a sensational return to professional tennis after a four-year break.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion retired in 2022, avoiding the word “retirement” and saying only that he was “moving away” from the sport.

Her last match took place at the 2022 US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic. Williams’ re-entry into the anti-doping pool last December fueled rumors of a comeback. Although Serena later denied her return, The Telegraph’s sources claim that the tennis community is not buying it and believes Serena can still compete at WTA level.

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Williams will be eligible to return to Roland Garros this summer, including mixed doubles, with possible options at Wimbledon or the US Open. Her older sister Venus continues to perform at the age of 45, increasing interest in Serena’s possible return.

Former champion Jim Courier is confident that Williams will definitely be back on the field if injuries are not a problem; The only question is the format and tournament.

January 25, Australian Open 2026 Ukrainian youth started.

In the main draws of the competition, Ukraine is represented by one tennis player and three tennis players: Nikita Belozertsev, Antonina Sushkova, Sofia Belinskaya and Polina Sklyar.

All four Ukrainian teenagers won their starting matches and advanced to the 1/16 final.

Australian Open 2026. Youth

R1: Nikita Belozertsev [6] – Aaro Gabet [Q] – 6:4, 6:1
R2: Nikita Belozertsev [6] – Vihaan Reddy

R1: Antonina Sushkova – Zhang Qian Wei – 7:6 (7:1), 6:4
R2: Antonina Sushkova – Ellen Hirschi

R1: Polina Sklyar [Q] – Teresa Germanova – 6:4, 6:2
R2: Polina Sklyar [Q] – Ksenia Efremova [3]

R1: Sofia Belinskaya – Emily Chen [WC] – 6:3, 6:4
R2: Sofia Belinskaya – Maia Ilinka Burcescu

Nikita Belozertsev and Polina Sklyar performed in the doubles tournament on Sunday. Unfortunately, no one made it to the second round.

Antonina Sushkova and Sofia Belinskaya will also compete in the girls’ doubles category; They will face each other in the first round.

Australian Open 2026. Couples. Youth

Nikita Belozertsev / Jamie Mackenzie- Ymerali İbrahimi / Cooper Pouch [WC] – 6:7 (6:8), 6:4, [5:10]

Polina Sklyar / Aishi Das- Mariella Tamm / Zhang Rui’en [6] – 5:7, 7:6 (7:2), [6:10]

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina She held a press conference after defeating Mirra Andreeva in the 1/8 final of the Australian Open 2026:

– Elina, congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals here for the fourth time. What does it feel like?

– Yeah, that’s great. Another chance to play in the semi-finals. But I am very happy with the match, and I am also very happy with my performance today. I think I implemented the plan well. I am very pleased with the result.

– Your next opponent will be Coco. If we talk about the preparations for this match in terms of temperature, I believe that the conditions will be similar to yesterday, at the same temperature. I know you don’t know when and where you’ll play yet. How do you prepare for conditions where temperatures will be very high?

– I didn’t actually think about it. I tried to prepare for today’s match. Someone told me a few days ago that it would be hot on Tuesday. So I’ll have to prepare. I think the preparations will start tomorrow with fluid intake and trying to stay calm. I think it’s important to prepare as much as you can, but we’ll both be in the same conditions. It is important to use tomorrow just to rest and prepare for this intense heat.

– You had incredible matches with Coco. What are your expectations and what do you need to do to reach your target semi-final?

– I need to discuss the plan with the coach and understand how to implement it. We had difficult matches, the last two I think were in three sets. We made the final in Auckland and the US Open a few years ago. We know each other’s game well. It is important to work on some points tomorrow, meet with the coach and be prepared for extreme heat. We will play not only against each other, but also against the conditions in which we will have to play in the heat.

– Is it more convenient for you to play in the daylight or under the roof?

– Of course, it’s better to play later. But I don’t decide the program. Maybe one match will be in the afternoon and the other in the evening. In the evening the weather is more pleasant, although the ball will still fly faster due to the heat, but in general everything will be fine.

– Considering the previous three quarter-finals, what does it mean to you to reach the semi-finals?

“Of course it means a lot to me, but I don’t want to think about it too much.” This is another opportunity to go far in the tournament. I want to focus on recovery and the game plan I need to execute well. These are my priorities now. If everything goes well, we will have a chance to win the next match.

– What gives you the confidence that you can take your game a step or two further?

– We did our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a lot of things on tactical issues. It was important to analyze what went well in 2025 and understand what could be improved and how. We worked with statistics, looked at where I could improve my serving, receiving and other aspects of the game. It opened my eyes to some things that I continue to work on. Everything is going well but the year is long, we have to keep going. The main priority is to stay in shape.

We made our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a few things. We worked on many tactical issues. It was important for me in 2025 to analyze what I did well and try to find where and how I could improve; We noticed a few tactical points. We worked with statistics to understand where I could improve my serving, receiving and overall game. It’s really opened my eyes to some things and I’m trying to work on them. I think it’s working so far but it’s been a long year so I need to keep going. I think the priority is still to stay fit.

– In your match against Mirra today, you won 15 of 20 points on her second serve – 75%. Was this planned? How much did that help you win in straight sets?

“It was important for me to apply pressure. Because if I let him get ahead in the rally, he can hit the ball very well to score points. He knows how to win matches, how to win tournaments. So for me it was important to try to take the initiative first and find a way to win because he is a very cunning tennis player. He changes the tempo, the length of the strokes. So you have to adapt very quickly and make split-second decisions to go to the ball or direct the ball to the right place.”

– Today Alexandra Oleynikova again commented on the situation with the war and stated that she was not happy that Arina Sabalenka had large advertising contracts. Do you have any thoughts about Russian and Belarusian players, their sponsorship deals and participation in Tours?

“I really have nothing to say about this.” I don’t know exactly what you said, so I don’t know.