"People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism. Let’s just enjoy the greatness" - Novak Djokovic defends Serena Williams return amid flurry of backlash

Serena Williams' return Wimbledon has been one of the most talked about topics in tennis over the past few weeks. Her singles venture came to an end after losing 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 against Maya Joint. From whether she should have been in the tournament to not committing her media duties, there has been a lot of critics opposing Williams decision of making a comeback. They have been hushed by Novak Djokovic who came to the side of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Centre Court was packed to the brim on Tuesday as fans got the chance to witness greatness once more. Williams had not played at SW19 since 2022, just a couple of months before her initial retirement from the sport. After a couple of doubles matches in recent times on grass, she made the decision to accept a wildcard in the singles.

She would push her young Aussie opponent to the end, playing some good stuff and even going up a break in the third and final set. In the end, she could not roll back the years and pick up a hugely historic result.

Her Wimbledon campaign is not done yet, although concern over a tweaked knee that saw her not attend the press conference following that match could halt her comeback. She is set to once again join forces with her sister, Venus, and play in the women's doubles together. They have won a grand total of 14 Grand Slam titles together in the doubles, and will clash against South American duo Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio.

Williams has brought a lot of attention to herself and the sport amid a return to competition. While a lot of it good and supportive of the 44-year-old, there is a handful of negativity being driven in her direction.

Following a comfortable second round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic backed up his prior comments on Williams and rose to her defence. “I said it even before the tournament started that what she’s doing is incredible, epic,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of Serena. I’m sure she wanted and expected to at least win one match or more.

“Knowing how competitive she is, the mind of a champion that she has, she’s not happy with just showing up on the court. She wants to win."

He has previously tried to persuade Williams to come out of retirement in 2026 ahead of the 2025 US Open. A year on, and the tournament at Flushing Meadows seems like a perfect aim and motivation for her. “I hope for the sake of tennis and all of us that we be able to see her more," he continued. "Let’s see. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen, whether she’s eager to play on Grand Slams maybe. I assume that US Open is somewhere where she would like to play. I mean, playing in her home Slam would be amazing for her and for everyone else.

“But let’s see. I was watching match a little bit. Look, she hasn’t played for years. She had two children. I mean, people are used to when we talk about Serena, I mean, also in my case, some great champions, people always expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years.

“She’s 44. I mean, she has two children. Coming back, it’s normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn’t played a match, I mean, in so many years. People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything. Let’s just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport."

He begged the tennis community to come together and celebrate a true great once more putting on a show at the highest level. “Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport," he admitted. "I think people sometimes, I don’t know why they don’t appreciate that enough. They just start to speculate, judge or whatever. It’s like, ‘Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more attention to your sport.’

“For me, I don’t understand this kind of thinking and this kind of approach by people and judgment. But people are people. This is something they’re going to do. I really support Serena. Always have. Hopefully she’s going to play more.”

Following his comfortable straight sets win over Tsitsipas, Djokovic will feature in the third round of Wimbledon for the 17th consecutive edition. Since 2010, he has failed to make the semi-final stage just twice, winning a whopping seven titles from eight finals.

Last year's defeat in the semi-final stage against the eventual champion Jannik Sinner meant that it was the first final since 2017 that did not have Djokovic involved. It was also a reality check with Sinner asserting his dominance with a fine performance on Centre Court.

Since then, Djokovic has defeated Sinner at the Australian Open. With no Carlos Alcaraz, this opens the door for the Serbian to strike with the confidence and belief on a favourable surface to seal Grand Slam number 25 and put himself ahead of the rest.

He failed to capitalise on Sinner's demise at Roland Garros and will not want the same to occur. The duo could face off in the semi-final if results go the way intended.