New Delhi, 10 February (H.S.): Tennis legend Serena Williams has been officially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to resume professional competition starting February 22, reigniting speculation about a potential return to the WTA Tour despite lingering uncertainty.

The 44-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion rejoined the anti-doping testing pool late last year, fueling rumors of a comeback after her last competitive appearance at the 2022 US Open, where she won two rounds before exiting.

Williams dominated women's tennis for nearly two decades, securing her final Grand Slam singles title in 2017; last month on NBC's Today show, she dodged direct questions about a return, laughing off queries and amplifying the suspense.

The WTA has yet to issue an official response outside regular hours on whether the American icon, who has shared training footage online, will indeed step back onto the court.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar