Serena Williams feels "more at peace" with her decision to step away from tennis but remains "torn" as a comeback crosses her mind.

The 23-time grand slam winner appeared to call it quits on her career at last year's US Open after a third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanović.

Yet, in October, Williams declared she had not retired and labelled the chances of a return as "very high."

With the 41-year-old still confident she can compete at the highest level, Williams admittedly struggles with choosing between her sporting career and enjoyment of motherhood.

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"I for sure feel more at peace now," Williams told E! "It's interesting. I think I feel torn because I'm still able to play at a very, very, very high level.

"With that being said, I always wanted to leave the game playing at a very high level. I also wanted to walk away when I'm healthy and have a quality of life," Williams said.

"But I'm inch by inch leaning away, inch by inch embracing it. I was playing earlier when I first retired because it was hard to do it cold turkey."

Balance in life remains the key aspect Williams is trying to achieve, whether she returns to her beloved sport for one last dance or not.

"I've been playing tennis for literally my entire life," she said. "My entire being and knowing is just what I've done.

"So now, I'm inch by inch finding my way. Obviously, I love other businesses that I've done. But just inch by inch leaning into that and leaning into my family and leaning into just having fun. I think it's so important to do all those and still create that balance," Williams concluded.