Serena Williams says she has not retired from tennis and her chances of returning are “very high”.
23-time Grand Slam champion Said she was “moving away from tennis” in an article in August.
While she didn’t confirm last month’s U.S. Open was her farewell event, she was paid tribute, hailed as “the greatest ever,” and Waving goodbye after first-round loss.
“The chances (of returns) are very high. You can come to my house, I have the court,” Williams, 41, said Monday at a conference in San Francisco, while promoting her investment firm Serena Ventures.
“I’m not retired,” she added.
Williams also said it didn’t come naturally to her not to prepare for the tournament after the U.S. Open.
“I haven’t really thought about (retirement) yet,” she said.
“But I did wake up the other day and play and (considering) not playing for the first time in my life, it felt really weird.
“It’s like the first day of the rest of my life, I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find a balance.”
Williams was beaten by Adjera Tomljanovic at the U.S. Open last month.Image: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Athletes, celebrities and politicians pay tribute to Williams After she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open in September.
Basketball star LeBron James described her as a goat – meaning the greatest of all time, while Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to her successful career.
Williams completed his career gold slam by holding all four majors as well as Olympic singles gold.
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In her Vogue article, Williams made it clear that her family was a major factor in her decision to “stay away from tennis.”
She added that she doesn’t like the word “retirement” and is “moving to other things that are important to me” from the sport.