Elina Svitolina Reacts to the Possibility of Serena Williams Returning to Tennis After Australian Open Exit
Elina Svitolina crashed out of the Australian Open in the semi-finals after losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
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Elina Svitolina and Serena Williams (via X/The Tennis Letter/NBC)
Elina Svitolina has expressed her surprise about the possibility of Serena Williams return to tour after she re-entered the sport’s anti-doping testing pool last December. Also, during a television appearance, Williams tried to deflect from questions about her potential comeback, as she reiterated that she’s enjoying her retirement.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion raised eyebrows last month when she rejoined the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)’s International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP), which is a tennis anti-doping testing pool. Players are sanctioned to join the testing pool six months before playing a tournament.
Players who are on the testing list give the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) permission to conduct no-notice, out-of-competition testing as part of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP). However, at the time, Williams denied that the move signalled a comeback to the sport, which she had dominated for over a decade.
Nonetheless, Svitolina, who defeated Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, faced Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Thursday (January 29). The Ukrainian star fell to the World No.1 in straight sets. But surprisingly, the match wasn’t the major talk in the tennis world as Williams cryptic answers in a Television appearance overshadowed it.
During Svitolina’s post-match press conference in Melbourne, she was asked about her opinion on a possible Williams return to the tour. The 32-year-old was first shocked and noted that she hadn’t heard any news about it. The Ukrainian then added that it would be an amazing thing for the sport if she were to return to the tour:
Really? Wow. I didn’t hear that. It would be amazing for the sport definitely. She’s such a great champion and achieved so much. She did so much for our sport. She’s been an inspiration for women around the world. It’s gonna be a great story for sure.
Williams has not played a professional tennis match since losing to Ajla Tomljanović at the 2022 US Open. Williams has faced Svitolina a couple of times on the court before the former retired and holds a 5-1 lead in their head-to-head record on tour.
Their last meeting came back in 2019 at the US Open, where Williams powered past Svitolina in straight sets in the semi-finals. Svitolina’s only victory against Williams came at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Elina Svitolina takes the positives from her run at the 2026 Australian Open
Elina Svitolina was hoping to reach her maiden Grand Slam final at the Australian Open before facing Aryna Sabalenka. However, the 31-year-old lost to the World No. 1, 2-6, 3-6 in the semi-finals of the tournament. It was her first loss of the year, having recorded ten consecutive wins and claimed the Auckland Classics.
Svitolina was not at her best against Sabalenka, who used her crushing forehand shots and powerful serves to outmanoeuvre the Ukrainian. During the aforementioned press conference, Svitolina admitted that she’s happy with her progress on the court this season, despite not reaching her goals in Melbourne:
(I’m) definitely very, very happy with the two weeks here and in New Zealand as well…it’s of course very difficult when you’re playing world No.1. But (I) just want to take positives from the past weeks and the beginning of the year and just carry them through the season. To be fair, I thought I was returning today quite well. I think I was returning well, but then her second shot was unbelievable.
However, Sabalenka is in her fourth consecutive Australian Open final. The Belarusian star won the title first in 2023 and then in 2024 before finishing as a runner-up in 2025 after losing to Madison Keys. Sabalenka will take on Elena Rybakina in the final on Saturday (January 31) at the Melbourne Grand Slam.
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