Why a Serena Williams Comeback Will Be Terrible for Tennis

Serena Williams is back. At least, the tennis world assumes she’s back. As of February 22, 2026, the ITIA has cleared her to compete professionally after six months in the testing pool. No press release, no big announcement—just the quiet administrative green light that has everyone whispering about a return. At 44, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, and one of the greatest players of all time, could step back onto a court any time now.

But surely tennis is the loser here right?

Overcrowding

Start with the crowds. The Australian Open just wrapped up, with packed stadiums, snaking queues, long wait times, and proving the sport can draw huge numbers without relying on the previous eras. Now imagine Serena enters the draw at Indian Wells, Miami, or the US Open.

Ticket prices spike overnight. Record numbers of people lining up for hours in virtual queues to get hold of a ticket. Resellers flipping seats for triple the face value. Corporate boxes getting hoarded by sponsors chasing the nostalgia. Tournaments will make more money (and won’t pass it on to the players).

The casual fan who finally started showing up for the current generation—Coco, Iga, Aryna—suddenly finds it harder to get in. The tour’s momentum, built on fresh faces and emerging rivalries, gets diluted by the gravitational pull of one legend. Bigger crowds….who wants that headache?

Boring Matches

Then come the matches themselves. Serena doesn’t do close calls when she’s on. Her career was full of 6-1/6-2/6-0 scorelines against top players who simply couldn’t handle the power, the serve, the mental pressure. That serve and power might not hit those previous heights anymore (heck, who knows…she might come back stronger), but the intimidation never fades.

Opponents will tighten up on big points, frame routine shots, double-fault under the weight of history. We’ll get blowouts where the drama ends before the second set. Commentators will stretch for new phrases, new stats, and new compliments to keep viewers engaged and awake. Tennis lives on tension, and epic matches…tiebreakers that go to 15-13, momentum swings, underdogs stealing sets. Serena’s presence replaces that with inevitability. No-one wants more dull matches.

Other Players Lose Money

Money will be an issue. Sponsors love winners, and Serena is the ultimate winner. Endorsement dollars flow her way first—Nike campaigns, Gatorade spots, media deals. The rest of the tour scrambles for what’s left. Prize money doesn’t magically grow; it stays flat while the spotlight narrows.

Mid-tier players who rely on smaller sponsorships and appearance fees will watch opportunities vanish. The WTA’s revenue pie is already smaller than the ATP’s, and Serena’s return takes a massive slice for herself. Rising stars who may have been starting to land bigger deals will find themselves suddenly competing with one of tennis’ greatest brand for every dollar. It’s a win-lose game where the legend wins and everyone else loses.

Injuries Galore

The injury toll on the tour will be the saddest part of the comeback. Players will see Serena back, and decide they need to match her intensity. They train harder, hit bigger, push limits they shouldn’t. Physio rooms will be full of torn rotator cuffs, strained hamstrings, stress fractures.

Young pros, desperate to prove they belong in the same conversation, overdo it and pay the price. There will be an abundance of players pulling out mid-season with “exhaustion” or a “mysterious back issue” that started when they tried to train like Serena in her prime. Careers shorten not from losing to Serena, but from trying to become Serena. The tour loses depth, careers get cut short, and we’re left with the Serena show. Disaster.

A Scheduling Mess

Add the scheduling chaos. Tournaments bend over backwards for her—wildcards, special invites, prime-time slots. Other players get bumped down the order. Doubles specialists lose practice time. The calendar, already packed, will be centred toward one name. And the media cycle? It becomes Serena 24/7. Every press conference, every practice clip, every outfit gets dissected. The current players’ achievements—new titles, new records—get footnotes instead of headlines.

Relax… It’s Going to be Great!

If you’ve read this far, hopefully you’ll realise this is all tongue-in-cheek. Serena Williams returning to the court will be phenomenal for the sport of tennis. Love her or not (and there’s a lot in each camp), tennis will be on the front pages. Seeing a legend return to the sport is exciting. Regardless of whether she’s lost a yard of pace, or a fraction of power, the interest level around Serena will be like nothing we’ve ever seen.

Whether she plans on playing just a few events, singles, or doubles with Venus, we should be excited about the prospect of seeing one of the greats of all time, enter the court again.

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