Savannah Guthrie presses Serena Williams on possible comeback after re-entering testing pool

Savannah Guthrie pressed Serena Williams about a possible return to professional tennis on the "Today" show Wednesday after Williams re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency drug testing pool in October 2025, which some people see as a precursor to a comeback. Guthrie raised the topic mid-interview, saying she "had to ask" whether the athlete would return.

Williams responded incredulously, asking, 'Really? Are you asking me that on the "Today" show? Oh, my gosh. Really?' Williams said people on set were laughing and that she was "just having fun and enjoying my life right now," adding, 'That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know. I’m just gonna see what happens.' Guthrie tried to clarify with questions such as 'Is that a no?,' and at one point called Williams' answers 'a maybe,' which Williams disputed.

The tennis champion emphasized her current priorities, noting she is a full-time stay-at-home mom and saying she had written 'Housewife' as her occupation on a recent form. Williams also told Guthrie she did not want to 'discuss [the] topic' further and joked, 'Put this to bed? I want to go to bed.

It’s early.' Guthrie repeatedly asked whether Williams was "mad," and Williams shook her head. Williams announced her retirement in an August 2022 Vogue essay, writing she chose family over building her tennis résumé; she and husband Alexis Ohanian are parents to daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2.

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