Novak Djokovic has revealed his belief that fellow tennis icon Serena Williams will likely be making an official return to tennis in 2026.<\/p>\n
Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Williams<\/a> officially retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open, following a career that had seen her win 23 Grand Slam singles titles and spend 319 weeks as the WTA world No 1.<\/p>\n However, rumours have been circling for several months that the 44-year-old could be planning a sensational return to the sport in 2026, after it emerged last year that she had re-entered the International Registered Testing Pool \u2014 a mandatory requirement to compete<\/a>.<\/p>\n Williams refused to directly rule out a comeback in a televised interview back in January<\/a>, fuelling further speculation that a comeback could be imminent.<\/p>\n Having re-registered for the testing pool, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has officially been eligible to return to action since February 22<\/a>, and practised with WTA Tour player Alycia Parks last month.<\/p>\n While there has been no official confirmation about whether and when Williams could return to the sport, anticipation is already growing about a potential comeback for the tennis icon.<\/p>\n And, speaking ahead of his Indian Wells campaign this week, Djokovic<\/a> \u2014 himself a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion \u2014 revealed his belief that his fellow all-time great was likely making a return.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s coming back,\u201d said Djokovic.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. I haven\u2019t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she\u2019s coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don\u2019t know, and if I\u2019m in her position, I would hide it too.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz \u2013 former British No 1 makes bold Indian Wells prediction<\/a><\/p>\n Emma Raducanu says her \u2018natural\u2019 game has been \u2018coached out\u2019 of her in telling comments<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, everybody is excited, and it\u2019s definitely something that\u2019s very highly anticipated. So, you know, let\u2019s see.\u201d<\/p>\n Djokovic was then asked whether he thought Williams would potentially make her return at Wimbledon<\/a>, a tournament where both players are seven-time singles champions.<\/p>\n The 38-year-old claimed that SW19 could well be the American\u2019s comeback venue of choice, and further suggested that Williams could be returning to play doubles alongside her sister, Venus<\/a>.<\/p>\n He replied: \u201cI pick that one [Wimbledon] as well as her comeback, but yeah, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and she\u2019s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back too.\u201d<\/p>\n Djokovic\u2019s comments came ahead of action in Indian Wells, with the Serbian the third seed in the men\u2019s singles event.<\/p>\n The Serbian is targeting a record-breaking sixth men\u2019s singles title at the tournament this year, though he has failed to make it to the quarter-final in his last five appearances in Tennis Paradise.<\/p>\n Djokovic has received an opening-round bye and will face either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Kamil Majchrzak in round two.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, while Williams is not in action, her older sister Venus will be competing.<\/p>\n The 45-year-old received a wildcard into the women\u2019s singles draw and will take on qualifier Diane Parry on Thursday.<\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n