Andy Murray’s Ex-Coach Raises One Doubt About Serena Williams’ Potential Comeback to Tennis

Serena Williams entered ITIA's testing pool and has also been using a weight-loss drug.

Andy Murray’s Ex-Coach Raises One Doubt About Serena Williams’ Potential Comeback to Tennis

Serena Williams (Image via X/VeeStar)

In Short
  • Serena Williams is eligible to compete in WTA tournaments starting February 22 after entering the ITIA testing pool.
  • Mark Petchey raised doubts about Williams' ability to handle back-to-back matches in a competitive setting.
  • Victoria Mboko expressed excitement about the possibility of Williams' return, calling her a legend in the sport.

Serena Williams is eligible to compete in WTA-sanctioned tournaments from February 22. But will she indeed be making her return to the tour?

She has kept the sporting world guessing since it became public last August that she had entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) testing pool, and, under the rules, retired tennis players must remain available for drug testing for at least six months before returning.

During a recent interview, Williams refused to answer whether she would be returning. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has also been using the weight-loss drug, Ro’s GLP-1, to shed weight quickly. Former ATP player Andy Roddick believes that had he made his decision to return to the tour after retirement, he would have been using drugs to lose weight quickly.

In short, everything points toward one thing- Williams’ possible comeback to official competition. Andy Murray‘s former coach, Mark Petchey, however, raised one big question about Williams’ potential return.

Obviously, the question mark is, you, it’s not probably for Serena, can she do it for one day? I don’t think that’s in any doubt, but whether she can put back-to-back matches behind her over the course of, whether it’s Indian Wells or two weeks of a major on the singles court.

Mark Petchey said on Tennis Channel’s The Big T Podcast

The last time Williams competed in an official match was in the third round of the 2022 US Open. And the last time she won a Grand Slam title was in the 2017 Australian Open.

That’s obviously the question that’s going to get answered at some point, but you don’t put yourself back on the ITIA list if you don’t have a plan, if you’re Serena Williams. There’s no point in complicating your life to the degree that you have to.

Mark Petchey added

Williams lost to Bianca Andreescu in her career’s last Grand Slam final at the 2019 US Open. And in her last tour-level final, she defeated Jessica Pegula at the 2020 ASB Classic.

Victoria Mboko makes feelings known on Serena Williams’ possible comeback to tennis

Victoria Mboko knocked out reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Qatar Open to schedule her semifinal match against Jelena Ostapenko. Following her 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 win over the Kazakh ace, Mboko was asked at the press conference about the rumors of Serena Williams‘ comeback.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (Image via X/We Are Tennis France)

Yeah, I’ve been seeing it around my social media where it says she’s coming back. I feel like it’s never really confirmed until she says it’s confirmed. That would be pretty cool for the sport. She’s a legend. She’s such a household name. I mean, if I were to ever play her, that would be a really great experience, and that would be really fun.

Mboko has so far reached three tour-level finals. After winning her career’s first title at the 2025 Canadian Open by defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, Mboko won last year’s Hong Kong Open against Cristina Bucsa. But the 19-year-old fell in the final of this year’s Adelaide International, losing the match to two-time WTA 1000 champion Mirra Andreeva.

Mboko got her revenge over the Russian ace by knocking her out of the fourth round of the ongoing event to improve her head-to-head record to 1-1. Against Rybakina, on the other hand, the Canadian ace holds a 2-2 head-to-head record.

Prior to the Qatar Open, Mboko participated in the Australian Open, where her run ended in straight sets at the hands of eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka. Mboko also played doubles with Coco Gauff in the first WTA 1000 of the season, but their run ended in the opening round.

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