Serena Williams‘ comeback to tennis never truly seemed possible, even though she never officially retired from the game and had merely ‘evolved away’. When she tweeted in December, “Omg y’all I’m NOT coming back,” many believed the chapter had closed for good, despite her remaining in the anti-doping testing pool. Now, with her return at the WTA 500 event in Queens Club just hours away, Andre Agassi sees something far greater than results at age 44; a comeback that could once again redefine the sport’s boundaries.

“It wouldn’t matter to me the result for her on any level except her own, her own best self. If she’s out there with the true desire to play, that’s a win for the sport,” he said on the latest episode of “The Big T Podcast.”

Agassi also took the opportunity to congratulate the 44-year-old icon for choosing to step back onto the court. “I’ll tell you what would be a successful comeback for Serena, that she’s living her best life,” Agassi added. “And if she wants to be on a tennis court, God bless her. I mean, I look forward to seeing her, I look forward to watching her.”

The American ATP legend then reflected on Serena’s extraordinary career and the privilege of witnessing much of it firsthand. “I had the luxury of watching her up close for so many years in her prime and I mean maybe you could argue her prime went on well past when I was able to watch it.”

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The American also dismissed any suggestion that Serena should have regrets about what she accomplished during her playing career. “If she had regret, she’d have to explain to me where that thing is coming from. I mean, she did it all and she did it over a very long period of time.”

At the same time, the former SW19 champion acknowledged Serena’s desire to challenge herself once again. “But if she wants to challenge herself, I mean she looks fantastic. I’ve seen her on commercials, she looks like she’s been putting in a lot of work. So, let her test herself in a new way, a new era, in a new time frame and a new chapter in her life, if that’s what she wants. I mean, I’ll be pulling for her.”

Brad Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi to 6 Grand Slam titles during their 8-year long partnership, echoed a similar sentiment during the same podcast episode. “That she’s satisfied that everything she put into this is what she wants out of it.”

Former tennis pro Prakash Amritraj also weighed in on Serena’s return and pointed to the effort she has already invested behind the scenes. 

“But she’s obviously practiced a certain amount, she’s obviously put in a certain amount of physical work. She looks fantastic. I want to see her expectations met on court. I’m not talking about results, I’m talking about what she wants to do out there, I want her to get out of it,” Prakash added.

And as Serena prepares for her doubles comeback, there appears to be little immediate focus on a singles return as of now. Her path back into singles competition seems some distance away, with this latest chapter centered more on rediscovering the joy of competing than chasing another title in Singles.

Serena Williams delivers an update on potential singles return

Last week, the 23-time Grand Slam winner stunned the tennis world by announcing that she was ending her retirement and was set to return to the WTA Tour.

Soon after confirming her comeback, the American legend accepted doubles wildcards for the WTA 500 events at the HSBC Championships and Berlin Tennis Open, starting June 15th. The move immediately sparked excitement among fans across the globe.

With Serena back on the entry lists, speculation quickly shifted toward an even bigger question. Fans began wondering whether she might also attempt a return to singles competition.

However, Serena indicated that a singles return is not currently her main focus. “An athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there’s a little bit of that too,” Serena added in her pre-tournament press conference at Queens.

She then addressed the possibility of returning to singles competition in a more direct manner. “I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles. We’ll see if I get there. And if not… That’s not my journey right now.”

For now, Serena is scheduled to make her competitive return alongside 19-year-old Victoria Mboko against Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez at Queen’s Club.

Regardless of the result, the occasion marks a significant moment for the sport. After 4 years away from competition, the tennis world will once again turn its eyes toward Serena Williams as she steps back onto the court, beginning a new chapter in one of the game’s greatest icons.