Sports
Serena Williams, 44, eligible to play pro tennis events Feb. 22
Tennis legend Serena Williams, seen here waving to the crowd after losing the final match of her career to Ajla Tomljanovic 2022 U.S. Open tennis, has suffered two pulmonary embolisms — the first in 2011 and the second in 2017 after the birth of her first child. She was able to return to competition both times but has also said that she needs to be vigilant for the rest of her life when it comes to early detection of blood clots. Whether or not tennis great Serena Williams is considering a comeback, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is now eligible to return as soon as Feb. 22.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency included Williams, 44, on the updated list of reinstated players on Tuesday. That was the last step in a process that began at least as far back as Oct. 6 when her name appeared in the International Registered Testing Pool, a requirement for a return to competition.
Being in the pool and available for random, out-of-competition drug testing for at least six months is a requirement for players who want to return to tennis. Players in the pool are required to inform testers of their location for one hour each day.
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” Williams posted on social media in December in response to a report of a possible comeback.
As recently as last month, Williams was noncommittal either way.
“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” she said on the “Today” show in January. “I’m just going to see what happens.”
Williams last played on the WTA Tour at the U.S. Open in 2022. In August of that year, she announced in a Vogue magazine article that she was “evolving away” from tennis.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”
If Williams does return, she could seek to enter the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, a WTA 250 tournament from Feb. 23 to March 1. Williams’ older sister, Venus, is still active on tour and received a wild-card entry for both singles and doubles. She had not announced a doubles partner.
Ranked No. 1 for 319 weeks, Serena Williams won 73 singles titles on the WTA Tour and earned nearly $95 million in prize money. She won Wimbledon and the Australian Open seven times each, the U.S. Open six times and the French Open three times.
Williams, who also won 14 major doubles titles with Venus, is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam (all four majors) in both singles and doubles.
Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, are raising two daughters.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Josh Jung’s 2-run blast lifts Rangers past Athletics
Apr 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) scores at home plate as Athletics catcher Austin Wynns (29) attempts to make the tag during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Josh Jung hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 4-3 on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager had two hits and an RBI for Texas, which evened the three-game series after losing the opener 8-1 on Friday.
Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore allowed three runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over five innings. Cole Winn (2-1), Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis each pitched a scoreless inning before left-hander Jacob Latz retired the Athletics in order in the ninth for his first save.
Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson had two hits apiece for the Athletics, who lost despite out-hitting the Rangers 7-5. The Athletics were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and fell back into a tie with the Rangers for first place in the American League West.
The Athletics claimed a 1-0 run in the second inning when Wilson doubled and scored on Darell Hernaiz’s two-out single.
Gore allowed two more runs in the third. With two on and no outs, Colby Thomas singled in a run before Tyler Soderstrom grounded out. Wilson followed with a sacrifice fly to score Nick Kurtz from third.
Texas answered with two runs in the third against Jeffrey Springs (3-2). The Rangers loaded the bases with no outs and pushed a run across on Brandon Nimmo’s sacrifice fly before Seager singled in a run with two outs.
Springs gave up four runs on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four.
The Rangers pulled ahead on Jung’s two-run homer in the sixth. Seager hit a leadoff single and Jake Burger flied out before Jung deposited Springs’ 0-1 slider over the right-center field wall.
The 381-foot blast was Jung’s fourth homer of the season. After going 0-for-17 in March, Jung is batting .371 (26-for-70) with 14 RBIs in his last 20 games.
The Athletics put the tying run in scoring position with one out in the eighth on Carlos Cortes’ double, but Jeff McNeil and Austin Wynns each flied out to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Lorenzen, double plays help Rockies top Mets
Apr 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Michael Lorenzen tossed a season-high seven innings and earned the win Friday night for the visiting Colorado Rockies, who beat the New York Mets 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series.
Jake McCarthy laced the tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth while Troy Johnston had what proved to be the decisive two-run single an inning later for the Rockies, who improved to 11-16. Colorado didn’t win its 11th game last season until June 3, when it was 11-50.
TJ Rumfield hit into a run-scoring groundout in the fifth while Ezequiel Tovar finished with two hits.
Marcus Semien hit into a run-scoring double play in the second and Brett Baty delivered a two-run single in the eighth for the Mets, who had won two straight following a 12-game losing streak.
Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio had two hits apiece.
Lorenzen (2-2), who entered Friday with a 7.48 ERA and pitched beyond the fifth just once in his first five starts this season, gave up one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out three. He induced three double plays in his longest outing since last Sept. 19, when the right-hander tossed 7 2/3 innings for the Kansas City Royals in a 20-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mets immediately rallied in the eighth against Jaden Hill, who gave up four singles, including Baty’s hit, while recording one out. But Antonio Senzatela entered and got Vientos to line into a double play.
The four double plays were the most for the Mets since they hit into four against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 9, 2019.
Senzatela threw a perfect ninth to close out his second save.
Freddy Peralta (1-3) took the loss for the Mets after allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda each homer twice as Rays beat Twins
Apr 24, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda (8) celebrates a home run during the fourth inning against Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Junior Caminero hit a pair of tape-measure home runs and drove in three runs and Jonathan Aranda also homered twice to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.
It was the fifth career multi-homer game for Caminero, who has hit six home runs during a nine-game hitting streak.
Drew Rasmussen (2-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Bryan Baker retired all three batters he faced in the ninth for his fifth save.
Brooks Lee homered and doubled in a 3-for-4 game and Royce Lewis also homered for Minnesota, which took its seventh loss in the last eight games
Taj Bradley (3-1), traded by Tampa Bay to Minnesota at the last year’s trade deadline for reliever Griffin Jax, allowed six runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in his first start against the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Bradley, who came into the contest third in the American League with a 1.63 ERA, allowed four homers after giving up none in his first five starts of the season.
Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a 450-foot blast over the batter’s eye in center field by Caminero, the longest home run of his career.
The Rays extended the lead to 2-0 in the third inning when Nick Fortes led off with a double, was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls and scored on a groundout to first by Chandler Simpson.
Aranda led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run down the right field line to make it 3-0, but the Twins cut the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on Lee’s fourth home run.
Aranda led off the sixth with his second homer of the game and sixth of the season, a 414-foot drive deep into the bleachers in right to make it 4-1. Tampa Bay then broke the game open in the seventh when Caminero clubbed a two-run homer, this one a 435-foot drive off the batter’s eye in center, to extend the lead to 6-1.
Lewis ended the scoring with a leadoff homer down the left field line in the ninth off reliever Trevor Martin.
–Field Level Media
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Josh Jung’s 2-run blast lifts Rangers past Athletics
