Savannah Guthrie awkwardly pressed Serena Williams on Wednesday’s “Today” show about a potential tennis return.
The 54-year-old journalist brought up the topic of the sport midway through the interview, noting that the 44-year-old athlete “re-entered the drug testing pool[in October 2025]which some see as a precursor to a return to tennis.”
When Guthrie said he “had to ask” if the Olympian would return to play professionally, Williams asked, “Really? You ask that on the Today show? Oh my god. Really?”
Guthrie tried to clarify, “Is that a no?” — Williams just parroted the question.
The tennis champion said, “People on set are laughing. It’s distracting. … I’m just having fun and enjoying life right now. … It’s not a yes or no. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
Guthrie insisted it was a “maybe,” but Williams responded with applause: “Not really. Look, I have two kids. I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom. When I filled out my occupation the other day, I wrote ‘housewife.'”
However, the NBC personality returned the question to Williams’ decision to “re-enter” the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s drug testing pool.
“Really? I don’t know if I was out or not,” Williams responded, before declaring that she could no longer “discuss” the topic.
Gasly went on to argue that if Williams wants to “put the rumors of a comeback to rest”, this press conference is a “good opportunity” to do so.
Williams laughed and joked, “Can I put this to sleep? I want to sleep, but it’s still early.”
Guthrie concluded the interview by claiming that Williams had “said a lot” with her answers hidden, and Williams branded her “funny.”
Williams was scheduled to return in the morning show’s fourth hour for an interview with Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones, but Craig Melvin joked off-camera that Williams would “hopefully” remain on set.
“She’s not mad at me,” Guthrie repeatedly insisted, before directly asking Williams, “Are you not mad at me?”
After joking with Melvin, Williams shook his head at Guthrie.
Representatives for Guthrie and Williams have not yet responded to Page Six’s request for comment on the uncomfortable moment.
Williams announced her retirement from tennis in an essay for Vogue magazine in August 2022.
“If I had to choose between building a tennis resume and starting a family these days, I would choose the latter,” the mother of two tennis players wrote at the time.
She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, are parents to daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2.
