"I think she's coming back" - Serena Williams return to tennis boldly predicted by an assertive Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams' possible imminent return to tennis has been rumoured for some time, going from hot to cold with every interview and opinion. Now, the feeling is again positive that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could be stepping back onto the court, at least from the point of view of Novak Djokovic.

After retiring after the 2022 US Open, Williams hung her racket up after one of the most successful tennis careers ever experienced. She won a huge number of titles and broke a number of records in her two-decade career at the top of tennis.

The rumour mill has been in overdrive for some time, all starting back when Williams officially was included in the ITIA testing pool. This is a mandatory step back for tennis players to be put on. This gives her six months before she can get back to competing at the highest level, and there will be a number of tournaments that would accept her with open arms to compete at.

However, instantly after it was revealed that she was on the list, the American clapped back on X, seemingly ruling out a return to the sport. Since then, more interviews featuring her and other tennis players commenting on this possibility, with her spotted back training on tennis courts, looking in great fitness condition.

38-year-old Djokovic has played a huge amount of his career at the top of ATP tennis, while in turn, Williams was leading the charge on the WTA Tour. The Serbian was hopeful that Williams would return to competitive action sometime in the future, even predicting that event.

"I think she's coming back," Djokovic confidently outlined in his press conference at Indian Wells. "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."

Back in August 2025, her sister, Venus Williams, also ventured back into the sport. The seven-time Grand Slam champion has competed in a number of events in the USA and Down Under still has that fire in her belly to compete at the highest level among the best players in the world. The tantalising outcome of the pair both playing on the same court once more is something many tennis fans have dreamt of for some time since the pair called it a day, but that could be on the cards again.

As for which tournament Williams will pick to make her return, Djokovic suggested Wimbledon could be the place where we next see her. "I pick that one as well as her comeback," he commented. "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."

There were some doubts about whether Djokovic would even turn up for the first Masters 1000 event of the year. Those have been crushed after his lengthy Australian Open campaign, where he reached the final before losing out to Carlos Alcaraz.

A five-time champion, Djokovic has not had the best of luck in recent times. He has failed to make it past the fourth round in his last five appearances spanning over nine years. Last year saw him falter at the first hurdle in a disappointing defeat to Botic Van de Zandschulp in three sets. He will take on either Kamil Majchrzak or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to kick off his campaign in California.