Novak Djokovic believes Serena Williams may return to tennis and says he would love to see her back on the court.
Djokovic shared his thoughts on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Masters. The 24 time Grand Slam champion said he feels the American star could make a comeback.
“I think she’s coming back,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she’s coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don’t know, and if I’m in her position, I would hide it too.”
Serena Williams, a 23 time Grand Slam champion, has not played a match since the 2022 US Open. She lost in the third round of that tournament.
However, the 44 year old returned to the anti doping testing pool in December. That step made her eligible to compete again.
At first, Williams denied that she planned to return. But in January she did not close the door on the idea during an interview with NBC’s Today show.
“That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.”
Djokovic said the possible return has already created excitement among players.
“Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” he said.
Serena’s sister Venus Williams is also back in action. The 45 year old received a wild card for the Indian Wells singles draw. She will face France’s Diane Parry in the first round.
Djokovic believes Serena could choose Wimbledon for a comeback. She has won the singles title there seven times.
“I pick that one as well as her comeback,” he said. “I don’t know. I think she might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus. That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans’, for sure.
“She’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back too.”
Djokovic will play as the third seed at Indian Wells. It is his first tournament since the Australian Open final. He lost that match to Carlos Alcaraz after beating Jannik Sinner in the semi final.
“For me that has been a phenomenal result,” the 38 year old said. “I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.
“So my logic is why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and also motivation to do that.
“There are objectives and goals that are always there. You want to win, so you want to get another title and get another Slam, hopefully,” he said. “I was close in Australia.”
Djokovic has won the Indian Wells title five times. That record is tied with Roger Federer for the most titles in the tournament.
However, Djokovic has not reached the quarter final at Indian Wells since his last title there in 2016.
He will start his campaign on Saturday. His first opponent will be either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
