NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO TWEAK SERENA WILLIAMS, WHO MIGHT COME BACK AND WIN
Age isn’t an issue for a legend who still has her skills and wants to return at a healthier weight, meaning Sabalenka, Gauff and Swiatek must deal with another contender … as soon as Wimbledon
She is 44, a year older than Tom Brady when he won his last Super Bowl. Too elderly? Too entrenched as a mother of daughters ages eight and two? Isn’t it time to forget GOAT fantasies and find a Mahjong game?
Silly me for making those suggestions. “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins,” she once said, “but by how they can recover when they fall.”
Do not ever label Serena Williams. She is primed for a serious comeback, which would include shattering an all-time record with two more Grand Slam victories. She also could threaten another chair umpire or a linesperson, but hopefully, winning a 25th major places her atop all historic stages and mountain sides among female athletes.
Returning to a sport doesn’t always end splendidly — MIchael Jordan came back once, shouldn’t have come back twice. But as soon as Williams appeared in weight-loss ads, we realized the syringe wasn’t used for cheap thrills. Lighter and crazier, she’ll play doubles next week during the HSBC Championships, at Queen’s Club in London. After which, she might be ready to enter the singles draw at Wimbledon, where she has won seven times en route to 23 Slams.
She is not an honorary starter. She wants to beat Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and other premier players. To see her try is well worth our time, hearing her say she is “moving better’’ during the commercials. She retired in part because she didn’t like her weight. She recurs because she likes her weight. Don’t dabble in age as she attempts to reclaim the greatest performance echelon of a female tennis player. The men’s game lost Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and is about to lose Novak Djokovic. The women’s game inherits a legend.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said as the tournament spread the news during the French Open. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Said Sabalenka, ranked No. 1: “She’s a legend. It’s inspiring to see. I’m excited to see her play and probably face her. It’s very good news for tennis.”
John McEnroe is a cranky network commentator. He also knows Serena. “She’s not getting any younger, but she’s Serena Williams,” he said. “So I bet you she would tell me about wanting to win the whole damn thing.” He meant Wimbledon.
Imagine Williams prancing in New York in September — back with her adoring crowd. “It seems like she’s trying to work her way up maybe to the U.S. Open, and those fans would be so ready to see her back on a singles court there,” former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said.
Can she win? Will she eventually top Djokovic and Margaret Court, stuck at 24? Won’t her serve be as potent? Williams has been practicing for months wth Alycia Parks, ranked 79th in the world. “She is in great shape. So I think she would kill it on tour,” Parks said.
Ask another legend, Martina Navratilova. She came back to the sport at 43. “Serena brought the game to another level and it is incredible for the sport that she’s pushing the boundaries and coming back,” she said. “To many of the younger players, they never had the opportunity to play her. Some may have watched her on television, so this will be a new and exciting experience.”
Naomi Osaka beat Williams at the U.S. Open in 2018. The loser broke a racket and referred to the umpire as a “thief,” an ugly moment. The winner won the championship and cried. But after winning four majors, Osaka has turned into a fashion queen in Paris, showing up in wild flair before losing to Sabalenka. She is happy about Williams.
“That’s definitely something I would be really excited about, just to see around the sites and playing matches again,” Osaka said. “I think it’s really cool for tennis, I would be excited to see her outfits again, too. But also her playing. I think she’s one of the best players in the world, of course.”
Gauff cannot wait to play her. She has won two majors and wants more. “That would be really cool,” Gauff said. “I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her. We’ll see. I think it would be cool for the sport to have a legend back playing.”
Said Madison Keys, who has won a major: “Serena Williams playing tennis is only good for tennis. Let’s be real. We all want to watch Serena play tennis. I mean, you literally get to watch history every single time she takes the court. So why not watch more?”
Her comeback cannot hurt the game. If she fails, she will quit and play Mahjong. We are not ready for that. She is not ready for that.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host.