"Serena Williams has a level of confidence that I have never had, not even for 12 seconds in my life"

Pedro de Pablos | 24 Jun 2026 | 15.20

Serena Williams has a level of confidence that I never had even for 12 seconds in my life. Source: Getty Images.

Streaming ATP Eastbourne live tennis

🎾 Jack Draper vs Jack Pinnington Jones

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

Serena Williams has caused one of the biggest surprises in recent years by announcing her return to individual competition at Wimbledon 2026. According to Andy Roddick, former world number 1, this shows a level of confidence he never had, and further proves the greatness of the women's tennis GOAT.

After almost 4 years of inactivity, Serena made the decision to return to the circuit by playing doubles tournaments in Queen's and Berlin. Although initially stating uncertainty about returning to individual competition, she has performed so well in these two matches she has played that she has taken a step forward in the most important tournament on the tennis circuit, something beyond all logic for Roddick due to all the doubts surrounding Williams' figure.

"After not having played an individual match in many years, think: 'You know what? I think my first comeback to competition will be at Wimbledon...'. Imagine being in Serena's mind, where she thinks: 'It's going to be Wimbledon, I am good enough, I can handle this, no problem. That is a level of confidence I never had for even twelve seconds in my whole life," Andy acknowledged on his 'Served' podcast.

Roddick's reflection if there's a Serena Williams vs. Sabalenka

In fact, Roddick has revealed that if he were in a similar situation, he would have started by playing much lower-tier tournaments. "I would have scheduled seven tournaments prior, in Futures in Branson, Missouri... I would have started playing by a Chili's restaurant in a public park, hoping no one would see me," joked the former American tennis player, who also disclosed that in the event of facing Aryna Sabalenka, the world number 1 would be the one under all the pressure.

"She has as much of a chance as anyone else in the world to face Sabalenka in the first round. I thought about it from the other side; if you are Sabalenka and play against Serena, who hasn't played in four years, comes out and gets three or four service games... There is no advantage if Sabalenka plays against Serena, none," he asserted. Furthermore, Sabalenka comes with many uncertainties in her game, and like the rest of the seeded players, they will be crossing their fingers not to face Serena in their debut.

Roddick compares Serena Williams to Michael Jordan

Roddick also discussed the significance of Serena Williams' return, and how beneficial her decision is for the circuit, likening it to Michael Jordan. "It's going to be an amazing show either way. Imagine Michael Jordan making a comeback, but all he had played were a couple of informal 3-on-3 games in 4 years. Imagine if there weren't teammates saying, 'She's been great in training'.” In the doubles match, her serve exceeded 190 km/h, so if she finds her rhythm, that speed will be enough," he concluded.

All eyes will be on the tennis queen, who will have to deal with the pressure of being the main focus of Wimbledon 2026 due to the implications of her return. She will have to face top players from her debut, but on a surface like grass where physicality is less crucial, she poses a real threat to anyone, especially due to the mental factor her opponents will have to contend with up close to the aura she exudes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Serena Williams tiene un nivel de confianza que no tuve ni por 12 segundos en mi vida"

WTA