Serena Williams Maps Out 2027 Singles Comeback Following US Open Doubles Preparation

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 28: Serena Williams of United States makes her way to the training grounds before The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

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Serena Williams is utilizing the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open alongside her sister Venus as a strategic mechanism to prepare for a potential singles return in 2027.

Caroline Wozniacki, a former world No. 1 and close friend of Williams, provided insight during the sisters’ doubles match against Maya Joint and H.C. Chan at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She noted that while both sisters aim to win, the event serves as crucial preparation for the upcoming season, allowing Serena to accumulate ranking points, regain physical movement, and compete in an actual match before re-entering the singles circuit.

When asked by Patrick McEnroe whether Williams would participate in singles at the 2026 U.S. Open, Wozniacki expressed skepticism, noting that Williams’s knee is not yet at full capacity. Had it been completely healed, Williams would have entered the singles draw; instead, she will focus on achieving full health to ensure she is entirely ready for the following year.

This timeline suggests a potential debut at the Australian Open in January. At 44, Williams has claimed 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven Australian Open crowns and six U.S. Open victories.

Appearing on “Good Morning America,” Williams told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that she “probably” intends to compete in singles once more.

“I probably will play again,” she stated. “I have to… After some of those returns, I think I need to play at least once.”

Williams, a mother of two young daughters, Olympia and Adira, recently ended a four-year hiatus to play singles at Wimbledon, where she lost to Joint in the first round in three sets. She subsequently withdrew from the Wimbledon doubles with Venus due to a knee injury sustained during her singles match.

“I injured myself at Wimbledon. And I just didn’t have time to recover, unfortunately,” Williams explained. “I simply didn’t want to take a spot away from another player if I wasn’t able to compete at a level I knew I could.”

When Andrews mentioned that many fans hoped to see Williams compete in a Grand Slam again, Williams responded, “Yeah. I think I will.”

“But this isn’t something permanent, obviously,” she continued. “It’s also really about wanting my children to see me play at a different age.”

Forbes estimates her net worth at $400 million, making her the world’s richest woman to have primarily built her fortune as an athlete.

The Williams sisters received wild cards for the tournament and drew significant attention, including from Carlos Alcaraz, the defending men’s singles champion and Serena’s mixed doubles partner at the Open.

“Absolutely,” Alcaraz said after his straight-sets victory over Wu Yibing of China. “I mean, I’m gonna get ready. I’m gonna be at the room. I’ll be getting treatment with the physio. So I think there is no better plan than to watch the doubles, the Williamses, once again, while getting a treatment. I’m going to be ready for that.”

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