2022 schedule update: Serena Williams hints Wimbledon comeback!

The latest news that Serena Williams’ long-term coach Patrick Mouratoglou has announced full-time partnership with Simona Halep reignited rumours that Serena doesn’t plan to return to competition. However, just hours later on Thursday the American hinted a comeback at Wimbledon 2022!

Williams hasn’t entered a tournament since last year’s Wimbledon, where she retired from her first-round match due to an ankle injury. In December, she postponed her comeback, saying that she needed more time to recover and wasn’t physically fit to play in Australia. After skipping all tournaments Down Under, Williams was largely silent about her return to competition. It led people to believe that the 40-year-old is silently stepping into retirement.

Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena’s coach since 2012, tweeted on Thursday that Simona Halep approached him after training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France before the BNP Paribas Open. At first he thought the partnership was out of the question, even though he missed coaching in the last eight months, but then after a conversation with Williams he realized he could commit to Halep, at least for a short period of time.

Mouratoglou’s full-time availability for Halep could have suggested that Williams told him that comeback was not in her plans, but shortly after his announcement on social media, the 23-time Grand Slam champion indicated that Wimbledon 2022 could be next on her tennis schedule.

Backstage at a bitcoin conference in Miami, chatting with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers, Williams said: “We’ve been talking about my comeback and he’s been hyping me up, getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can’t wait!” Rogers then pointed at Williams and said: “She’s back.” A video of this conversation was posted on Serena’s Instagram story.