Serena Williams entered her name into the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) anti-doping testing pool list in December 2025, sparking rumors of a potential comeback. Amid speculation about her return, Novak Djokovic said he believes the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will indeed make a comeback.
Despite her name appearing in the ITIA’s anti-doping testing pool, Williams initially stated on social media that she would not return to the WTA Tour. However, as of Feb. 22, 2026, her name appeared reinstated on the ITIA website.
Novak Djokovic Makes His Feelings Known on Serena Williams Potentially Making a Comeback
Djokovic is currently in California for the 2026 Indian Wells Masters. During a pre-tournament press conference, he was asked about the possibility of Williams returning to the Tour.
In response, the Serb said he believes Williams is planning a comeback. While he admitted he hasn’t spoken directly to her, he trusts that she will return. He added that if he were in her position, he too would “hide” the news until the time was right to make it public.
“She’s coming back. Is she coming back? Is that a question? 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. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don’t know, and if I’m in her position, I would hide it too. Yeah, everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic suggested that Wimbledon would be the ideal tournament for Williams’ return, as she has an impressive record there, having won seven singles titles, six doubles titles, and a mixed doubles title.
The 24-time singles Grand Slam champion also mentioned that he expects Williams to participate in a few doubles tournaments alongside her sister, Venus Williams, before re-entering singles competition. He praised Williams as “one of the greatest athletes” and expressed excitement about her potential return.
“So, you know, let’s see. I pick that one [Wimbledon] as well as her comeback, but yeah, I don’t know. I think she might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus [Williams]. That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans, for sure. Yeah, and she’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back, too,” he added.
As for Djokovic, he is seeded third at the 2026 Indian Wells Masters and will begin his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. His opening match will be against the winner of the first-round match between Kamil Majchrzak and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Djokovic has not faced either player previously on the ATP Tour.
The winner of this second-round match between Djokovic and either Majchrzak or Perricard will advance to play against either 31st seed Corentin Moutet, Hubert Hurkacz, or Aleksandar Kovacevic in the third round of the tournament.
