Serena Williams still has the opportunity to come back and play tennis.

The 23-time grand slam champion has not played since she was beaten in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open by eventual champion Naomi Osaka.

However, speaking to reporters on Friday, Williams said she is feeling “really good” and is excited to return to action. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” she said. “I’m really happy with how I’m feeling and progressing.”

While Serena didn’t explicitly say she was retiring, her words certainly made it seem like her playing days were behind her. But Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, believes there is still a chance she could make a comeback.

In an interview with Tennis Channel, Mouratoglou said Serena is still “considering” whether or not to retire and that she has the potential to return to the court.

“She’s taking some time to decide what she wants to do in her life, what are her priorities, because obviously having a baby changes everything,” Mouratoglou said. “So it changes her priorities, it changes her time available to train and to compete, and so she’s trying to figure out where does she want to go from here.”

Mouratoglou added that Serena is still in “great shape,” despite not playing competitively since she gave birth to her daughter, Olympia. “She works out every day, she’s in great shape. Obviously if she decides to come back and play tennis, she will be one of the favorites for every tournament she will play because she’s Serena Williams,” he said.

Williams has spoken about the possibility of returning to tennis in the future, but she hasn’t given any indication of when that might be. In her Vogue letter, Serena said she is “taking a maternity leave from tennis and having a baby,” but she also hinted that she could make a comeback at some point.

“My story is about to take a turn,” Serena wrote.

Retirement is definitely a possibility for Serena, but it sounds like she hasn’t made a final decision just yet. And with her coach believing she could still compete at a high level, don’t be surprised if Serena makes a return to the court at some point in the future.

However, she remains one of the most popular players on the women’s tour and her return will be eagerly anticipated by fans.