In her last professional match, Serena Williams lost 5-7, 7-6(4), 1-6 to Ajla Tomljanović in the third round of the 2022 US Open. Tomljanović recently reacted to reports confirming the American legend’s return to tour.
Williams took the tennis world by storm after fans spotted her name in the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) last August. The ITIA rules state that a player must be available for at least six months of testing before they are allowed to play professional tennis. The former World No. 1’s six-month period ends on February 22.
Speaking to former player Kim Clijsters on her “Love All with Kim Clijsters” podcast, Tomljanović expressed her excitement at Williams’ return, saying:
“I’m just happy that she’s coming back. I think for tennis, it’s awesome. And you know what? The fact that she believes she can win a Slam, which makes me think like, ‘Wow, I want to see this.’ It’s going to be exciting again. You know, tennis needed something more, I don’t know, so it’s cool.”
When asked what she remembers about her match against Williams, the Australian said:
“It’s such a blur. I don’t even remember. I just remember thinking, ‘You know what, screw this. This is my moment to have never made the fourth round at the US Open.’ I didn’t really know what to expect, but there was a bit of that anger, which I really liked about myself. I’m usually a bit more like ‘let’s play,’ but it did bring out this bitchiness in me, even if it couldn’t show, but it was like, ‘I’m here too.'”
“And I just played probably the most measured match mentally in my career. I look back now, like, ‘How did I do it?’ because I feel crazy. I do hope I don’t play her again, though, because I don’t want to go through that again,” she concluded.
“Would Be Pretty Cool” – Victoria Mboko on Serena Williams’ Potential Return
Ever since reports surfaced about Serena Williams’ comeback, several players and experts have shared their reactions. Rising star Victoria Mboko is the latest to comment on the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s return.
At a press conference of the ongoing Qatar Open, Mboko said (via The Tennis Gazette):
“Yeah, I’ve been seeing it around my social media, where it says she’s coming back. I feel like it’s never really confirmed until she says it’s confirmed. That would be pretty cool for the sport. She’s a legend. She’s such a household name. I mean, if I were to ever play her, that would be a really great experience, and that would be really fun.”
Mboko, 19, never got to face Serena Williams.
The Canadian has reached the final of the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, and she will square off against Karolína Muchová for the title on Saturday, February 14. Mboko defeated the 2026 Australian Open winner, Elena Rybakina, in the quarterfinals.
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