"She will only do it if she thinks she can compete with the best" - Serena Williams former coach outlines grounds for comeback while pitching doubles reunion with sister

Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has discussed the exciting prospect of her return to the court in 2026 after her name was spotted on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s Registered Testing Pool.

The 44-year-old has been retired since 2022 after a legendary career where she cemented herself as one of the best, if not the best, to step out onto the court. A stunning number of accolades and titles were collected on a regular basis when she was in her pomp in a career spanning over two decades. She won 23 single Grand Slam titles, along with another 16 doubles major titles. She spent a phenomenal 319 weeks as world number one, 186 of them coming consecutively between February 2013 and September 2016, in a record shared with Steffi Graf.

However, this may be something that she would want to try and build on, with a return to the sport possibly in the works. As exciting as this may seem, Mouratoglou is not getting ahead of himself. “Maybe this is something that crossed her mind because she's in super shape, as everybody saw,” he told Express Sport. “She looks like she's back to being a top athlete after being a mother. So maybe it crossed her mind, and maybe she opened that opportunity. But to open an opportunity and to do it, there is, I think, a long way to go, so I guess we'll know in a few months if happening.”

The French coach knows Williams better than most people. He coached her for a decade, overseeing a phenomenal 10 Grand Slams and aiding her march back to becoming the best after a slight blip. He states that if she wants to do something, then it is likely that thing will occur. “I think when Serena wants something and when she puts her heart in it, there are not much things that are impossible," he admitted. "So I guess, if she thinks about her comeback, she will only [do it] if she thinks she can compete with the best; otherwise, she will not. That's not her mindset. That's never been her mindset.”

A few months ago, Venus Williams announced her return to the court at the DC Open. It was her first tournament in over a year, and she returned with a bang. She won her first-round clash in both her singles and doubles matches. She also made an impressive run in the US Open women's doubles event. Partnered with Leylah Fernandez, they went all the way to the quarter-finals before losing out to the number one seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in straight sets.

She will be continuing her comeback to professional tennis into 2026, with her set to compete in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. This is golden preparation ahead of a highly anticipated return to the Australian Open. She has made the final in Melbourne twice, losing on both occasions to her sister in 2003 and 2017.

The duo were also on the same team, competing alongside each other regularly in doubles events with a whole heap of success. They made 14 Grand Slam finals together and won every single one from 1999 to 2016. This is added to the three Olympic gold medals collected as a partnership. With this in mind, Mouratoglou entertained the idea of them playing alongside each other once more. “I guess she hasn't played official matches for a long time, so that would be a smooth way to come back, to start with doubles. But again, I don't know her plans,” he stated.

“It's impressive, but you know, Serena and Venus are incredible athletes, I think they’re above most of the players so, for them to do it, it is more possible than for many others. And also, they have this incredible competitive mindset that made them who they are, multiple Grand Slam champions, and Serena even in a different league. But they both have the competitiveness, the ability to know how to win matches, and for their age, they are still in great shape because, first, they're still exercising, and second, they're incredible athletes.”