Patrick Mouratoglou admits he would like to see a Serena Williams comeback in 2026 as the American's former coach believes the 44-year-old is "ready physically" for such a thing.
The start of December was quite something for the tennis world after Ben Rothenberg reported that the former 23-time Grand Slam champion re-entered the ITIA's doping testing pool.
After suffering a torn hamstring during 2021 Wimbledon, the former world No. 1 returned to singles action 12 months later at The Championships. Then, the American announced that the 2022 US Open would be the final tournament of her career. She went on to win her opening two matches at Flushing Meadows before falling short to Ajla Tomljanovic in a three-setter.
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In the next couple of months after retiring, Williams admitted that she felt "tempted to return." Since then, she has also welcomed her second child.
Although retired, Williams has stayed very active in the gym. This year, the former 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she lost 31 pounds (14 kilograms) with the help of Ozempic.
Mouratoglou, who won 10 Grand Slam titles with the American during their 10-year stint, is rooting for the 44-year-old to return to the Tour.
Mouratoglou: Williams is ready physically... I'd love to see her in action again
I would love to see in 2026 a comeback from Serena. Why not? Weve all seen the footage of Serena ripped. Shes ready physically. Novak said he would love to see her back. She posted a video of herself playing tennis. So why not? I would love to see if she can compete at the age she has without playing one single tournament for three years, giving birth for the second time," Mouratoglou said in an Instagram video.
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Meanwhile, Williams strongly denied that she was coming back.
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"Omg yall Im NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy," the American tennis legend wrote on X the same day when the news of her re-entering the ITIA doping testing pool dropped.
