Has Serena Williams made telling move towards a comeback? Andy Roddick makes ‘significant’ comment

Ewan West 09 Dec 2025 3:00 PM

Serena Williams with Andy Roddick inset

Former world No 1 Andy Roddick has said it is “significant” that Serena Williams has re-entered the tennis doping protocols as he discussed the possibility of the tennis legend returning to the sport.

The news that Williams has re-joined the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)’s International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) has sparked strong speculation that she could be planning to make a comeback.

The ITIA’s website explains that players “may not return to sanctioned events unless they have made themselves available for out-of-competition testing for at least six months prior to the event in question.”

Williams, who played her last match at the 2022 US Open, insisted she is not returning to tennis as she addressed the “wildfire.”

“I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” the 23-time Grand Slam winner wrote.

Speaking on the latest episode of his Served podcast, Roddick shed light on tennis doping protocols and shared the example of John McEnroe.

“Obviously, the biggest story of the week is Serena Williams re-entering doping protocols,” said the 2003 US Open champion.

“I’m gonna me give you a personal story of this, as I learned about it over a decade ago now. People reading this [news] might not know what that means.

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“So, I retired, and I filled the paperwork for retirement. I’m assuming Serena did too, because you don’t have to re-enter doping protocols if you never left them.

“John McEnroe never actually retired, and so he could go back and play a professional tournament this week, but because I actually put in paperwork, I would have to re-enter doping protocols for at least six months, or whatever that number is, a significant amount of time, if I wanted to play, even though we’re the same amount retired.

“It’s not like John McEnroe is on tour anymore, but he had those couple of tournaments where he just said, ‘Okay, I‘ll do it’.

“So, it is significant, right? I’m sitting here as a retired player, living my life, with obviously no intention [of coming back]. It’s not a reality for me, like it is for Serena.

“Serena could go out and win matches, Serena could go out and make a run to the second week of a Slam. I don’t think that would shock anyone.

“Now, a lot of work between here and there, but that’s just how I feel. And I don’t think that’s a crazy thing to say.”

The American went on to stress that he thinks Williams’ decision to re-enter the doping testing pool means she must at least be considering a comeback.

“I love Serena, I’ve known her for a long time, since we were kids. I’m not saying she’s doing it because she knows she’s coming back,” Roddick continued.

“The reason you go back into doping protocols is because you like the option of coming back, and I don’t know how else to read this.

“And I’m sure I’m going to get an angry email from someone saying I’m stoking the fire. Yep, I am.”