Serena Williams Getty
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It's difficult to close a chapter of greatness, but sometimes goodbye is just a "see you later." In the case of NFL veteran Tom Brady, his retirement lasted 40 days before the Tampa Bay quarterback decided to return to the football field. As for Serena Williams, she has teased that she might get inspired by the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

"I mean, you never know. I've just been saying that Tom Brady started a really cool trend." Williams said in  a recent interview with Good Morning America.

In August, the superstar announced that she was ready to step away from tennis in an essay published in Vogue to focus on other areas of her life. Williams avoided using the word retirement. Instead, she prefers to say she is "evolving."

Williams competed in this year's US Open in what was supposed to be her final tournament, but even in her last court interview after losing in the third round, the veteran admitted that she still wants to be involved in tennis.

While being involved could mean many different things, her Good Morning America appearance was not the only time she joked about following Brady's footsteps.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon brought up the same idea of "pulling a Tom Brady" and evolving into coming back to tennis, or perhaps pickleball. Once again, Williams talked about being a fan of the "trend."

Brady might have been the most recent mainstream athlete to do to the "trend," but this had already been done by other iconic sports figures. NBA legend Michael Jordan retired three times before officially leaving the game as a player. Since she is also considered one of the greatest of all time, it makes sense for Williams to join the list. 

As shown by her performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams still has a little bit left to give on the court if she chooses to come back. Before the US Open began, Serena told the Today Show that her career has taught her to "never say never," but for now she has definitely earned a break.