Svetlana Kuznetsova hints at possible tennis return: “I did not say Goodbye”
By Erik Gudris | Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison
For Svetlana Kuznetsova, life has been very full and busy since she played her last professional tennis match in 2021.
Though the Russian star admits there’s a slight chance she may return to the tour.
A two-time major singles champion and former World No. 2, Kuznetsova recently gave an extensive interview with Fernando Murciego of Punto de Break, where she discussed her life away from the tour.
Kuznetsova, now 40, never officially announced her retirement after her last complete professional match, a first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2021.
“I did not want to announce my retirement because, honestly, I did not know if I would come back later on,” Kuznetsova admitted. “In fact, to this day, I do not know if I will return.
“What if I felt like trying again? I was not sure, so I did not say goodbye. I chose to leave it open in case I felt like returning later.”
With Venus Williams’ return to the tour last year and growing speculation that Serena Williams may also return soon, Kuznetsova, who played them many times, hinted she might just add her name to the comeback list. Though she admits that the window of opportunity is closing very soon.
“Yes, but it is very small, getting smaller every year. I do think about having a farewell gesture, for example, but it would have to be something nice.”
Fans of Kuznetsova can keep up with her on her Instagram channel @SvetlanaK27.
Since leaving the tour, Kuznetsova has kept busy with a variety of projects, including designing a clothing line, starring in a Russian television series, and developing sports centers around Moscow. She’s also been active in training young tennis players in Russia.
When asked about her 22-year career, which featured 18 singles titles, including two Grand Slams (US Open 2005 and Roland Garros 2009), and over $25 million in prize money, the recent International Tennis Hall of Fame nominee picked two key dates from her impressive resume.
“When I felt best on the court was during the 2009 clay court swing: I won Stuttgart, made the final in Rome, and then won Roland Garros. I also felt very good in Cincinnati 2019, when I reached the final with Madison Keys; that’s when I started working with Carlos Martínez again. At that age, you think more, you have everything much clearer.”
As far as who she thinks was her toughest rival was on court, Kuznetsova lists Justine Henin, and wishes she could change their match in Roland Garros in 2005, where Kuznetsova held a match point.
And the perfect match in her career?
“2009 Roland Garros final, against (Dinara) Safina. It wasn’t perfect, but things went very well.”
Kuznetsova does keep up with the tour and its current players. On the women’s side, she confesses that she’d like to see more variety in the game and cites Czech star Karolina Muchova as someone who reminds her of her own versatile game that mixed power with precision and the ability to hit any shot in the book.
“Now everything is much more physical, (Aryna) Sabalenka and (Elena) Rybakina are very strong, but I would like to see tennis with less power and more finesse, not just strength. I would like to see more variety, but of course, what to do against Aryna’s power?
Yet Kuznetsova is not sure that even in her prime, she could beat today’s top 10.
“That’s a very difficult question; it’s not the same to watch them play as it is to face them. For me, all the current top 10 players are in tremendous form, all play very well, and I think it would be very difficult for me to beat them.”
On the men’s side, Kuznetsova adds, “Jannik (Sinner) and Carlos (Alcaraz) are on another level right now, they have a very interesting rivalry to watch. I like both circuits; in both, you can find interesting matches, the trick is to find those players you like, the ones that make you turn on the TV.”
The complete interview can be found here.
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