Few genuinely believed it would ever happen, but in early June, it became a reality.

After months of speculation and hearsay, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams made an astonishing return to professional tennis, nearly four years after she initially called it a day on her glittering career at the 2022 US Open. Aged 44, Williams played her first match back on the grass courts of the Queen’s Club Championships, featuring in doubles at the WTA 500 event alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, 25 years her junior.

Fans packed out the Andy Murray Arena to witness Williams’ comeback, and the American didn’t disappoint, triumphing with Mboko in straight sets against third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez. From there, Williams made another doubles appearance in Berlin with Karolina Muchova before returning to singles action at Wimbledon, where she took Australian youngster Maya Joint to three sets on Centre Court, but ultimately came up short.

Williams and her sister, Venus, rolled back the years at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, having received doubles wildcards at both events to reunite on home soil. Williams also joined forces with men’s world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the revamped mixed doubles tournament at Flushing Meadows, where the two stars reached the quarterfinals.

In an interview with Good Morning America last month, Williams hinted at competing in Grand Slams again next year. But her former coach, Rick Macci, speaking exclusively to The Tennis Gazette, suggested he can’t see it happening.

Rick Macci discusses Serena Williams’ chances of playing in 2027

“I don’t think so,” said Macci when asked if he thinks Williams will be playing professionally in 2027. “I think she knows she has to be a hundred percent if she wants to be super competitive or even beat people in the top 20 in the world; she’s going to have to dive in head-first and compete on a regular basis.

“But if it’s just going to be a cameo now and then, she might have a moment in the sun where she beats a person, because listen, a lot of people freak out when they look on the other side, even if she’s not playing good. But like any of these players, she’s not an alien. She’s a tennis player, even though she’s the greatest of all time.

“You need the repetitions, maybe not as extreme as Alcaraz needs after 139 days off, but you have to feel the moments, the big points. You have to get in there. Practice matches are very different with fans in the stands and the cameras clicking. That’s a very different element, even for the great Serena. Do I think she could do damage in 2027? Yes, but I think she’d have to commit on a regular basis and with her, you never underestimate the heart of the champion.”

Williams was competitive in her one singles match this year against Joint in the first round of Wimbledon, taking the second set in a tiebreak to force a decider. Williams sustained a knee injury during the clash, which played a big part in her 6-3, 6-7(6-8), 6-3 defeat to the world number 87.

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“For not playing for as long as she played, no tournaments, stepping onto probably one of the most brutal environments in sports, Centre Court Wimbledon on grass, even though she has seven titles in her back pocket, I think she did the best she could,” said Macci of Williams’ meeting with Joint.

“But for people to say it was a great match or it was great rallying or whatever, listen, that was maybe 50% of her ability. The movement was a half step or a step late. The anticipation wasn’t like it was. The elite ball striking wasn’t anywhere near. If you remember, she dictated and ran the show. She took every ball on the rise, gave you a surprise, tore out your eyes.

“There were longer rallies because the quality of Serena’s ball wasn’t anywhere near like before, but she still almost got the W. It wasn’t anywhere near what we used to see, but to do what she did under that backdrop, it’s amazing. It’s another exclamation point. People judge by winning and losing. I think for how long she was off and what she did and how she handled the situation, it was amazing. But not anywhere near [her old level].

“I just saw many moments where her centre of gravity was off, and she wasn’t as confident, but that’s expected. But at the end of the day, I thought it was great for tennis, and I think everybody really appreciated it.”

Serena Williams’ return to tennis ‘didn’t surprise’ Rick Macci

Despite Williams’ return to tennis essentially being confirmed when her name appeared on the list of players registered for the drug testing pool in 2025, the announcement of her comeback still shocked most tennis fans to their core. Not Macci, though. “It didn’t surprise me,” stated the 71-year-old, who coached both of the Williams sisters at his academy in Florida during their junior years.

“I know this better than anybody. She wanted to have her kids see what mommy did for a living because both the kids are a little older now, so they can comprehend what, in my opinion, the greatest player of all time did for a living. So that was number one. Number two, she has the platform to still change many lives and inspire people.

“So it didn’t surprise me whatsoever. I called that even when she retired four years ago. I thought she and Venus would continue to play doubles, because it’s must-see TV, more eyeballs. I thought singles was a slipperier slope, but I could see her and Venus making a cameo because everybody wants to see living legends.

“It’s crazy, if you think about it, two of the greatest players of all time, and not only were they in the same family, they shared the same bedroom. You can’t make it up. It’s a story that you’ll never hear again at that level. You might have siblings do something, you know, like the Bryan brothers, but not at that magnitude, especially coming from Compton, California.

“But that script was flipped by me by moving the whole family and kind of bankrolling the whole thing. The whole thing was a mystery, but at the end of the day, we changed history.”

While Serena’s future in tennis is up in the air, Venus remains active on the WTA Tour at the age of 46 and will be in action in both singles and doubles at the Hong Kong Open next week.