Rick Macci, who guided Williams and her sister Venus Williams in the early 1990s, said the 44-year-old is “going all out” in training as she prepares for a comeback. Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, Macci expressed certainty that his former pupil will compete again.
Williams, who dominated women’s tennis for two decades, won her most recent Grand Slam singles title in 2017. She has not competed since the 2022 US Open, a tournament widely regarded at the time as her farewell to the sport.
However, speculation intensified after Williams rejoined the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year. By re-entering the programme, she became officially eligible to participate in professional tournaments once more.
“She’s training with lots of sparring partners – guys,” he said.
“She’s also played with Alycia Parks, a good friend of hers in South Florida. So I have no doubt about it (her comeback). I always thought she would come back from time to time to make appearances with Venus in doubles.
“But we’re not just talking about doubles here… she’s going all out. If she didn’t think she could compete with the best and win matches, she wouldn’t do it. It’s 100% certain she’ll dive back into competition.”
Despite those developments, Williams has consistently played down talk of a return. During an appearance on Today last month, she deflected questions about a potential comeback and denied that she is actively preparing to resume her career.
