HEARTBREAKING: Insiders Claim ITIA ‘Buzz’ Was a Planted Story to Gauge Interest for a $50M Exhibition, Serena’s Denial Just Negotiation Due To…
The tennis world went into a frenzy on Tuesday as the rumours of Serena Williams’ comeback gained traction.
Williams stopped playing professional tennis after losing in the 2022 US Open third round. She didn’t label it as her “retirement” but announced she was “evolving away” from the racket sport.
As a norm, the 23-time Grand Slam champion opted out of the International Registered Testing Pool of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which would free her of the whereabouts commitment for doping control.
Interestingly, the 44-year-old’s name has reappeared in a testing pool list dated October 6, 2025. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that she informed the ITIA to add her name to the pool earlier this year.
“She has notified us that she wants to be reinstated into the testing pool. I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option. All I can say is she’s back in the pool and therefore subject to whereabouts.”
– ITIA Spokesperson Adrian Bassett told The Athletic
Hours after the news, Williams took to social media to put these rumours to rest herself.
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-”
– Serena Williams posted on X
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
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Players are required to be registered in the testing pool for a minimum of six months before taking the courts. They should remain in one place for an hour every day as a requisite and can be tested for doping on a random notice.
Although Williams herself has junked the possibility of a comeback, she would be eligible to play competitive tennis from April 2026.
This means Williams can participate in the Wimbledon Championships, a tournament she has won seven times in singles. She would also be able to compete in her home Grand Slam, the US Open. The tournament revamped its mixed-doubles competition this year into a star-studded competition, including wildcard teams comprising singles players.
A reunion of Serena Williams and Venus Williams is on the cards
Serena Williams’ entry into the testing pool could even pave the way for a reunion with her elder sister, Venus Williams, as a doubles team.
Venus has been active on the WTA Tour in pockets over the last few years. This season, she participated in the US Open, Cincinnati Open, and Citi Open. In 2023, she played the Majors in New York and London, and in five other events.
Serena and Venus were a formidable force on the doubles court. Together, they won 14 Grand Slam titles from 1999 to 2016 without losing a final.
The Williams Sisters may be gearing up for a last dance at Wimbledon or the US Open in 2026 to bring closure to their storied careers as tennis professionals.
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Former World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva returns to tennis at 41 with a win
News
Monday, 01 December 2025 at 15:50
byAyush Vashistha
Former World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva made her return to tennis on December 1, 2025, with a win at the ITF W100 Dubai.
Zvonareva, aged 41, played against Croatia’s Tara Wuerth on Monday and secured a win in straight sets. She never announced her retirement publicly but hadn’t played on the competitive circuit since May 2024.
The Russian ousted Wuerth in an hour and 46 minutes. She suffered an early break of serve in the fourth game of the opening set but quickly recovered by breaking back immediately. She then converted two more break points to take the lead.
The following set panned out in a similar fashion as Wuerth broke the veteran in the first game, only to be broken back in the second.
The eventual winner broke her opponent’s serve two more times to claim a 6-3, 6-4 win.
41yo Vera Zvonareva is back and with a casual win against a top 250 😅
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Zvonareva began playing tennis professionally in the year 2000. She reached her peak ranking of World No. 2 in October 2010. The same year, she reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to defending champions Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, respectively.
On the WTA Tour, she won 12 tournaments, including the WTA 1000 Indian Wells. She also secured a bronze medal for Russia in women’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Russian achieved greater success in doubles. She won the US Open in 2006 with Nathalie Dechy and in 2020 with Elise Mertens. She also lifted the 2012 Australian Open trophy with Svetlana Kuznetsova.
In mixed doubles, she triumphed at Flushing Meadows with the legendary Bob Bryan in 2004 and conquered Wimbledon in 2006 after pairing up with Andy Ram. Her most recent victory came at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, where she joined forces with Laura Siegemund to reign supreme.
Vera Zvonareva was denied entry into Poland in 2023
Vera Zvonareva found herself in legal turmoil in July 2023 after she tried entering Poland with a French visa to play the Warsaw Open.
The Polish government marked Zvonareva “undesirable” amid the Russia-Ukraine war and stopped her from entering the country after she landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport on a flight from Belgrade, Serbia.
As per the Interior Ministry of Poland, she flew to Podgorica, Montenegro, after being held back in the transit zone.
“The Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland. Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get into our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw. After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Warsaw Chopin Airport and today, after 12:00, she flew to Podgorica.”
– Interior Ministry of Poland
Poland has tightened entry restrictions for citizens of Russia and Belarus due to the conflict and players from these countries continue to play on the tour under a neutral flag.
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