Novak Djokovic Speaks About the Possibility of Serena Williams’ Return to the Tennis Tour
Novak Djokovic returns to the tour in Indian Wells after skipping the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.
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Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams (via X/The Tennis Letter/Wimbledon)
- Novak Djokovic suggests Serena Williams could return to tennis at Wimbledon if she decides to make a comeback.
- Williams has not played since retiring at the 2022 US Open but has been training and re-entered the anti-doping pool.
- Djokovic anticipates a potential doubles partnership between Serena and Venus Williams, generating excitement in the tennis community.
Novak Djokovic has suggested that former Women’s World No.1 Serena Williams could be back on tour for the Wimbledon Championships, an ideal venue for her return to tennis, if the 23-time Grand Slam champion decides to make a comeback to the sport later this season. For the past few weeks, there have reports that she has been practicing and training with some players.
The 44-year-old has not played a competitive match since retiring at the 2022 US Open. She revealed after her retirement that she aims to evolve away from tennis and has done so by focusing on her family and business ventures. However, speculations about a potential return were fueled after she re-entered the sport’s anti-doping pool last year.
Players who want to compete on tour are expected to enter the anti-doping testing pool three months before featuring in a tournament. Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, recently revealed that the American star has been following an impressive training regimen, which points towards a comeback on tour.
Though Williams has not publicly confirmed her return to tour, fans on social media have seen a video of her training with fellow compatriot Alycia Parks. Parks released the video of her practice session with the 44-year-old and also confirmed it early this year, but didn’t give details on whether Williams was returning to the court.
However, during Djokovic’s press conference at Indian Wells (also known as Tennis Paradise), he revealed that Williams might pair with her sister, Venus Williams, in the doubles category before a potential comeback at the Wimbledon Championship. He added that the tennis world is excited about her return:
I think she’s coming back. I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she’s coming back. I picked that one (Wimbledon) as well as her comeback, but I don’t know. I think she might play a doubles tournament or two with Venus. That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and for tennis fans. Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated. She’s one of the greatest athletes. It would be great to have her back.
Djokovic and Williams own the men’s and women’s Open Era records for Grand Slam victories. Meanwhile, the former is tied with Margaret Court with 24 major titles. The Serbian legend was close to making it 25 Grand Slams at the Australian Open in January, but fell short after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Novak Djokovic feels confident after beating Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open
Novak Djokovic stunned the tennis world at the Australian Open, where he reached his first Grand Slam final in over a year. The 38-year-old was deemed the third favorite after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but he produced a spectacular performance to beat Sinner in five sets in the final after more than four hours at the Rod Laver Arena.
The win proved that he remains a force in the sport’s biggest stages despite his age. During the aforementioned press conference, he noted that it was an incredible feeling to have beaten Sinner in five sets at the Melbourne Grand Slam. He added that it proves he can still compete against Alcaraz and Sinner:
It was an incredible feeling to be able to beat Sinner in five sets in one of the epic matches that I played in recent times in Australia, and then have another great match with Carlos, who was just too good in the end. For me, that has been a phenomenal result. So I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.
Djokovic is a five-time Indian Wells champion, but last won the title in 2016. Last year, he fell to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round in three sets. This year, he hopes to perform better on the court, having taken sufficient rest since the Australian Open, and skipped the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.
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