Serena Williams Teases Return: 'Tom Brady Started An Amazing Trend'

Serena Williams of the United States reacts in the second set against Ajla Tomlijanovic of Australia during their Women’s Singles Third Round match on Day Five of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 02, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

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Serena Williams is thinking about pulling a Tom Brady and returning to tennis after her "retirement" from the sport. While making an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the tennis superstar was asked by host Jimmy Fallon if that is her plan.

After discussing what led her to the decision to leave tennis after 23 Grand Slam wins, Williams, 40, said she felt relief after announcing her retirement in a Vogue essay last month. The only person she told before her announcement was her therapist, telling Fallon, "Verbalizing meant that it was real, and I don't want it to be real so I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do and I don't think you really know until, I don't know, until you say it or it's actually real."

"I've been playing tennis since I was little in a stroller... that's how long I've been around tennis," Williams also said of the Vogue essay. "But when it came out, I was actually relieved and I didn't expect to feel that way. I felt good! I felt pretty good. It's like when you want to accomplish something and you don't do it but then when you finally do it you're like, 'It wasn't as bad as I thought it was!' And that's kind of what it was like -- I should have done it 10 years ago!"

Fallon asked if "There's no chance of you pulling a Tom Brady and saying, 'Maybe I'm evolving to coming back -- pickleball,'" Williams teased back, "You know what? Tom Brady started an amazing trend. That's what I want to say," she laughed.

Serena said that she "always thought at the end of it I would just leave quietly and not saying anything and make an announcement on social media. That's how I always thought I would do it."

She added, "I think retirement is something that's super-earned, that people work really hard for. But I just feel like I'm at an age where I definitely have a lot more to give, there's a lot more I want to do, and so, I'm not going to be relaxing, there is so much more for me and I feel it's more like an evolution of Serena. And there's so many things that I've been wanting to do for so many years and I have such a passion for tennis for so long that I have never done it but now it's time for me to, like, try to enjoy those things."

Watch Serena Williams on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below:

Serena Williams: The Tennis Star’s Last U.S. Open Gallery

UPDATE: Serena Williams wins 6-3, 6-3 against Danka Kovinic.
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Serena Williams is undeniably one of the best athletes ever to compete in any sport. The 26-time Grand Slam champion will "evolving away from tennis" as she reveals in an interview earlier this month. Her longtime sponsor, Gatorade, decorated their social media profiles (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) by swapping their logo from a "G" with the letter "S" in honor of the athlete. They additionally created a two-minute ad celebrating the tennis star narrated by Beyoncé.

"When the world writes her down in history, we’ll begin where she started. At love," Beyoncé says over a flashback of Williams playing. "It’s a love that we’ll remember through the generations, a love that started a movement, a movement to always love exactly who you are and who you can be. To be so in love with your identity, that your very essence cannot be contained."

Queen Latifah, meanwhile, narrated a tribute video to Williams that aired before tonight's match.

Williams has won the U.S. Open six times and is facing Danka Kovinic in round one of the tournament Monday night (Aug. 29).

Take a look at her final time playing at the U.S. Open below:

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States looks on prior to her Women's Singles First Round match against Danika Kovinic of Montenegro on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States plays a backhand against Danika Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States serves against Danika Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States reacts to a point against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States looks on against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States returns a shot against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

2022 US Open - Day 1

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Serena Williams of the United States serves against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

2022 US Open - Day 1

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: A detailed view of the shoes of Serena Williams of the United States during her Women's Singles First Round match against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)