Serena Williams might be taking a page from Tom Brady‘s book.
Williams, who said last month that she was “evolving” away from competitive tennis after this year’s US Open, once again hinted at a possible comeback during an interview Wednesday with “Good Morning America.”
And this time, the 23-time Grand Slam champion referenced another all-time legend.
“I mean, you never know,” Williams said when asked whether she could be persuaded to return to tennis. “I’ve just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend.”
Brady, 45, retired from football this past February before announcing six weeks later that he had changed his mind and would return for a 23rd season in the NFL.
Williams, who turns 41 later this month, lost in the third round at the US Open in what was thought to be her swan song from professional tennis.
Williams has avoided using the word “retirement,” however, remaining vague about whether her appearance at Flushing Meadows definitely would represent her last hurrah. She even responded “you never know” when asked during an on-court interview whether she might reconsider walking away.
Williams also acknowledged Wednesday that older sister Venus Williams is among those nudging her to stave off retirement.
“She’s not done yet,” Serena Williams said when asked about her older sister. “This is just me. … She’s trying to get me, and I’m like, ‘No.'”
Williams emphasized that she wanted to stay involved in the sport regardless of whether her playing career is over.
“Tennis has given me so much, and I feel like there’s no way that I don’t want to be involved in tennis somehow in the future,” she said. “I don’t know what that involvement is yet, but I do know that I love the sport so much, I love the game, I love everything about it. It’s just been such a light in my life that I definitely want to keep some sort of [involvement].”