Serena Williams seemed destined for a place on the International Tennis Hall of Fame ballot in 2027. After all, she stepped away from tennis in 2022, satisfying the five-year-away criteria, and well, her record speaks for itself. But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was back on the court this year, and that comeback has changed the picture.

The Hall announced its nominees on Oct. 18, with Ash Barty making the Player Category ballot for the first time. Juan Martín del Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova return after they failed to secure enough votes in earlier elections. Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist and 28-time major singles champion, has also earned a nomination in the Wheelchair Tennis Category.

Serena’s absence is the headline twist, whose return in 2026 has seemingly complicated that timeline. She played women’s doubles at Queen’s Club, Berlin, Cincinnati, and the US Open, and also returned to singles at Wimbledon. Even with a limited schedule, those appearances put her back in the mix on the professional tour.

And under the Hall’s rules, a player must not have been a significant factor on the ATP or WTA Tour during the five calendar years preceding election. In its 2022 release, the Hall of Fame had specifically stated: “Pending the determination by the Enshrinee Eligibility Committee as to the five-year time period for Serena Williams and Roger Federer, they will then be automatically included on the ballot for the determined year.”

Meanwhile, tennis insider and sports journalist Jon Wertheim also weighed in on her absence from the ballot, hinting at what her fans would love.

Serena, too, hasn’t decided on a strict path as of now. Speaking to People in September, she said: “I really don’t have an agenda right now. I’m taking it one match at a time and seeing where my body can take me. It’s been exciting to see what I’m capable of and to feel myself getting stronger. Right now, I’m just enjoying being back out there and seeing where it goes.”

That said, Barty made the ballot in her first year of eligibility. She retired in March 2022 as the world No. 1, just weeks after winning the Australian Open. Her three singles major titles came on three different surfaces: the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021, and the 2022 Australian Open. She also won the 2018 US Open women’s doubles title, claimed 15 WTA singles titles, and spent 121 weeks at No. 1.

Del Potro’s return to the ballot gives the Argentine another chance to earn a place in Newport. His defining triumph came at the 2009 US Open, where he beat Roger Federer in a five-set final to win his first and only major singles title. He collected 22 tour-level titles across his career, helped Argentina win its first Davis Cup in 2016 (he was playing with a broken finger in his left hand, and yet inspired a comeback against the hosts, Croatia, in the final), and claimed an Olympic singles silver medal that same year. Injuries repeatedly interrupted his career, but his biggest victories remain among the memorable moments of his generation.

Kuznetsova also returns to the ballot with a career that spans both singles and doubles success. She won the US Open in 2004 and the French Open in 2009, then added Australian Open doubles titles in 2005 and 2012. The Russian finished with 18 WTA singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching career-high rankings of No. 2 in singles and No. 3 in doubles. She also helped Russia win three Billie Jean King Cup titles.

Kunieda’s nomination recognizes a career that helped define wheelchair tennis. The Japanese star won 50 major titles in total, including 28 in singles and 22 in doubles. He collected four Paralympic gold medals, spent a record 582 weeks at world No. 1, and completed the career Golden Slam. Kunieda retired in 2023 while still holding the top ranking.

What are the rules for entering the International Tennis Hall of Fame?

The International Tennis Hall of Fame has separate categories for players, contributors, and wheelchair tennis. In the Player Category, a candidate needs a distinguished record at the highest international level and must not have been a significant factor on the ATP or WTA Tour within the five calendar years before election. The Hall also considers integrity, sportsmanship, and character.

Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee induction. Candidates must receive at least 75% support from the Official Voting Group, which consists of global tennis media, historians, and Hall of Famers. Fans can also influence the result: the top three candidates in the fan vote receive bonus percentage points, with three for first place, two for second, and one for third. A candidate who falls short of 75% in the official vote can still reach the threshold with the fan-vote bonus.

Fan voting for the Class of 2027 is open until Sunday, October 25. The official voting group will cast its ballots later this fall, and the Hall will announce the inductees after the votes are counted.