Simone Biles Plans to Text Serena Williams for Advice on a Comeback as She Weighs 2028 L.A. Olympics (Exclusive)

Simone Biles praised Serena Williams at the 2026 US Open and expressed interest in seeking her advice on a potential gymnastics comeback

Biles is considering a return for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics but has not made an official decision yet

Mental health remains a key factor in her decision as she balances recovery and staying physically prepared

Simone Biles praised Serena Williams 's return to tennis on Tuesday, Sept. 8 during an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 2026 US Open, where she also discussed whether the 23-time Grand Slam champion's comeback has influenced her feelings about competing in the future.

"She is so incredible," the famed Olympic gymnast, 29, told PEOPLE of Williams, 44. "I actually need to text her like, 'Hey, what are your thoughts?' We need to catch up. We need to catch up," she added.

Williams competed in doubles at this year's US Open for the first time since 2022, teaming up with older sister Venus Williams once again. The siblings fell to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching in the first round on Friday, Sept. 4.

Although Biles hasn't made an official announcement about a competitive comeback of her own — "No breaking news tonight!" she joked Tuesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York — the seven-time Olympic gold medalist has been weighing a return as the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles near.

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In April, the decorated gymnast told CNN Sports that she still wasn't ruling it out . "I feel like we're still at a 50-50," Biles told the outlet at the time. "We're still on a time crunch here. Now it's almost half of 2026, so we're gonna have to make these decisions pretty quickly."

Elsewhere in the US Open interview, Biles — who has collected 11 medals across three Olympics —told PEOPLE that she would love the opportunity to train with Williams.

"I mean, she's just the GOAT. Why not?" Biles said without hesitation. "Her, Coco [Gauff], I feel like would both give me a run for my money because I cannot play tennis at all, but I feel like the vibes would be overall great," she added.

Biles previously said her mental health was going to be one of the key factors that went into her decision-making on competing. She has been open about her emotional well-being in recent years after experiencing the twisties at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which resulted in her withdrawal from multiple events .

"Mental health plays a big role in it because, physically, my coaches will get me in shape," she told CNN Sports while speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.

"I can get myself in shape. We believe in that ability. We're really thankful that I'm still healthy," she continued, explaining, "But mental is a huge thing, and it's a lot of dedication on that, because the road's not easy. It's long, but it's still work."

As of now, the gymnast is still on a break from the sport as she gives her body time to recover after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics . However, she's keeping her fans hopeful by posting videos of herself performing flips and tricks on her social media.

"I'm just playing around to see if I've still got it," Biles told viewers in early September.