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The 24-time Grand Slam champion welcomed the idea of a return to the court for the legendary American tennis star.
Novak Djokovic. (AP)
Novak Djokovic is confident that Serena Williams will return to competition as the 24-time Grand Slam champion is eager to see one of the greatest athletes to grace the sport back on the court.
Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, has not competed since her third-round loss at the 2022 US Open.
Despite initially denying a comeback, the 44-year-old mother of two re-entered the anti-doping testing pool in December and regained eligibility. In January, she did not rule out a return, telling 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, seeded third in Indian Wells, is competing in his first event since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, after defeating Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
“I think she’s coming back,” the Serbian 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.”
“Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” he said.
Djokovic suggested that Serena could make her comeback at Wimbledon, where she has won seven singles titles. Her sister Venus Williams, 45, accepted a wild card into the Indian Wells singles draw and will face France’s Diane Parry in the first round.
“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,” he continue.
“She’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back too.”
Djokovic is seeded third in Indian Wells as he plays his first event since he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, after toppling Jannik Sinner in the semis.
Djokovic shares the record for most Indian Wells titles with Swiss legend Roger Federer, each having won five. However, he hasn’t made it to the quarter-finals since he last claimed the title in 2016. He is set to begin his latest campaign on Saturday, facing either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
“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.”
United Kingdom (UK)
March 05, 2026, 10:24 IST
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