Serena Williams '100%' coming out of retirement & will compete at the top, says ex-coach

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-serena/ttsu68nH/"]Williams[/a], who won her last Grand Slam singles ‌title in 2017 and has not competed since the ‌2022 US Open, can officially enter tournaments after rejoining the tennis ‌anti-doping testing pool last year.[/p][p]The American has denied that she ‌is preparing to return to the sport she dominated for two decades, but raised eyebrows last month by deflecting questions about a comeback ‌during an appearance on NBC's Today Show.[/p][embed guid="a763c43c-a552-46b9-a081-070b0d24187b" url="https://x.com/BenRothenberg/status/2025643568421888258" social-type="twitter" /][p]Macci, ⁠who previously coached Williams and ‌her sister Venus in the early 1990s, told French publication L'Equipe ​that he believed she is preparing for a comeback.[/p][p][b]"She's training with lots of sparring partners - guys," [/b]he said. [b]"She's ​also played with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/parks-alycia/Uwhd6a1e/"]Alycia Parks[/a], a good friend of hers in South Florida. So I have no doubt about it (her ⁠comeback). [/b][/p][p][b]"I always thought ​she would come back from time to time to make appearances with Venus in doubles, but we're not just talking about doubles here... she's going all out. [/b][/p][p][b]"If she didn't think she could ‌compete with the best and win matches, she wouldn't do it. It's 100% certain she'll dive back into competition."[/b][/p][p]Macci, 71, had no doubts about Williams' ability to handle the rigours of the tour.[/p][p]"The question is whether that competitive spirit is still there," he added. "She's answering that question herself: she's coming back because she is a competitor at heart."[/p][p]Williams said in August 2022 that she was "evolving away from tennis" and her ‌team has not responded to Reuters requests for comment on her ​potential comeback.[/p][p]Macci suggested that Williams could use Indian Wells ‌or the Miami Open to launch her comeback next month.[/p][p]"It'll be interesting to see how fit she is," he added.[/p][p][b]"Making an appearance, playing an exhibition match or a match is one thing. Doing it again the next day ⁠and the day after ⁠that, and performing well day ‌after day is another."[/b][/p]