"She gives me the biggest hug and I'm like, 'I didn't win. How can you be hugging me?'" - Serena Williams outlines her biggest fans since tennis comeback

Serena Williams' comeback to tennis has been met by widespread support by tennis fans revelling in the past and now getting the opportunity to see the 23-time Grand Slam champion back on the court once more. However, the biggest support the 44-year-old has been receiving comes from her inner circle, specifically her daughters, who get the chance to see her compete on the big stage.

Williams initially retired at the 2022 US Open after over two decades of competing right at the very top of the sport. She achieved so much in her time, staying consistently among the best in the world for that time while enduring some compelling rivalries with her sister, Venus. She ended her career as questionably the best to ever do it, but four years on and she is still going.

Rumours over her return soon gathered pace, and ahead of the grass swing, the news was confirmed that Williams would be returning to action. First at Queen's Club Championships, where young talent Victoria Mboko was lucky enough to partner Williams on the court. They won their opening match, but the American's return was cut short following a nasty injury Mboko suffered in the singles.

She would then make the trip to the German capital, where she and Karolina Muchova were not so fortunate in their opening tussle. Then, it was onto Wimbledon. The highly anticipated return was set to be one of the stories of the championships. It would also mark her singles comeback, playing Maya Joint in a three-set thriller which went the way of the young Aussie. A knee injury scuppered any plans of competing with her sister once more in the doubles.

They did play with each other on home soil in Cincinnati and New York. The 14-time doubles Grand Slam champions were unable to pick up any wins but did put on a show for the crowd who were deeply immersed. Especially at the US Open where they were involved in a thriller, blowing a 5-0 lead in the third set tiebreak to lose their first round contest.

It is yet to be seen what Williams does next. She made it clear that this was a serious comeback, and with her esteem she could get into any tournament that she likes.

All the while this has been going on, she has been receiving a lot of support from her family. Her daughters, Olympia and Adira, got the chance to see their mum in the flesh on court. In fact, Williams was pregnant with Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open final, defeating her sister in that memorable clash.

This is one of the emotional parts of returning for Williams. She sat down to discuss this in an interview with Vanity Fair. Whether win or lose, her daughters will always be there for her.

“It's been so fun," she said. "It's like, I've been looking at it from a different angle with my daughters here to see, and [Olympia] is so proud of me every time I leave the court, whether I win or lose. She gives me the biggest hug and I'm like, 'I didn't win. How can you be hugging me?' But she doesn't see it like that.”

That competitive spirit of Williams is why she won so much in her career. A lot of her success came alongside her sister, who was at times her biggest rival on the court. These days, they are a team and while they have fun competing, the serious aspect remains.

“Sharing it with my sister is really cool because we get to laugh," she added. "But we are also very serious and we also get to communicate.”

Tennis fans will wait patiently to see whether Williams makes a return to the action in 2026. Her best options woud most likely be either the China Open or Wuhan Open, the two WTA 1000 tournaments. She could also wait until 2027 and make a charge Down Under, similar to what Venus did earlier this year with the Australian Open the highlight.