“A Live Compton street IS coming to a court real soon”: Rick Macci backs Serena Williams’ return to the WTA Tour alongside her sister Venus

Former coach of Venus and Serena Williams, Rick Macci, is backing the return of the 23-time Grand Slam champion to the WTA Tour, with the aim of forming a doubles partnership with her sister. The American coach was a key figure in the development of both legends of the WTA Tour, serving as their historic coach during their junior years.

“Serena will tee it up with Vee and create double trouble as a Live Compton street is coming to a court real soon,” Macci wrote, suggesting that both could once again share the court in a competitive setting. The coach went even further by stating that Serena would be ready to “rock the WTA boat,” adding that there would be a singles wildcard available for the player considered by many to be the greatest of all time.

Macci’s comments arrive at a moment when the idea of Serena Williams returning to professional tennis has quietly regained traction. While there has been no official announcement, several developments over recent months have kept the possibility alive. Most notably, in December journalist Ben Rothenberg reported that Serena had applied for reinstatement to the ITIA’s Registered Testing Pool.

By doing so, the 44-year-old became eligible for a return to competition six months after submitting her whereabouts for random anti-doping tests — the only formal requirement for a former player to re-enter the tour.

From a regulatory standpoint, this step is significant. Once cleared, Serena Williams would be free to compete in official tournaments, albeit likely via wildcard entries due to her lack of ranking. Given her status as a 23-time Grand Slam champion and one of the most influential figures in the sport’s history, few events would hesitate to extend such an invitation.

Serena herself has offered mixed signals. After Rothenberg first revealed the ITIA registration, she later stated on social media that she would not be returning to the courts. However, her tone softened weeks later during an appearance on the Today Show, where she left the door open, saying she was “having fun and enjoying my life” and would “see what happens.”

That ambiguity has only fuelled further discussion, especially when combined with Macci’s suggestion of a doubles partnership with Venus. The Williams sisters are among the most successful doubles teams of all time, and even a limited comeback in that format would carry enormous symbolic and commercial weight for the WTA.

Queen V herself has made several doubles appearances in her most recent outings with different partners — from Leylah Fernandez at the US Open, Elina Svitolina in Auckland, or Ekaterina Alexandrova at the recent Australian Open. In fact, Flushing Meadows showed that there is still a level to compete at the highest stage, reaching the quarterfinals alongside Fernandez, only to fall to top seeds Siniakova/Townsend.

For now, everything remains speculative. But between regulatory steps already taken, carefully chosen public comments, and voices like Macci’s adding momentum, Serena Williams’ name is once again circulating where it has always commanded attention: at the heart of the tennis world.

The last appearances of Williams on the Tour came back in 2022, when she made her final showing at the US Open. During that season, she played five tournaments — only four of them in singles (including Wimbledon and the US Open). Precisely her final appearance was especially inspired, reaching the third round and knocking out the then world No. 2, Anett Kontaveit.

Serena retired after an extraordinary career: a total of 73 titles, 23 of them Grand Slam trophies and another 23 at WTA 1000 level. Added to that is her gold medal at London 2012, one Grand Slam Cup, and five WTA Finals titles. Williams also captured 14 Grand Slam titles in doubles — all of them with Venus — and two more in mixed doubles alongside Belarusian Max Mirnyi, now a member of Aryna Sabalenka’s team.