Did Novak Djokovic confirm Serena Williams’ tennis comeback?

Novak Djokovic is weighing in on one of the most exciting developments in the sporting world. Over the past months, it’s been speculated that Serena Williams might be making a professional tennis comeback, a moment that’s exciting for anyone who knows anything about sports. In a recent press conference, Djokovic addressed the rumors and shared his thoughts, including how much he admires Williams and her career.

“I think she’s coming back,” Djokovic said while addressing the media at the Indian Wells Open. “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. So, you know, let’s see.”

When pressed for more information, Djokovic shared some theories of Williams’ possible comeback, proposing that she might be waiting for a tournament like Wimbledon to return. He said that she “might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus” before coming back solo.

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This is a theory that’s been discussed in the past, with Venus herself addressing it. 

“That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans, for sure,” Djokovic continued. “Yeah, and she is one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back, too.”

Why Serena’s comeback has been so discussed

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In December of last year, Williams applied for reinstatement to the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) testing pool. This doesn’t remove her from the list of retired players, but it makes it possible for her to follow the agency’s routine drug tests and thus participate in professional tournaments. 

Williams declared herself retired in 2022 at the ITIA, eliminating the need for these mandatory drug tests. 

While she has recently said that she doesn’t plan to comeback and is instead focused on raising her children and in spending time with her family, earlier this week it was revealed that she was practicing with Alycia Parks. “I actually practiced with her last Monday. And I messaged her yesterday. She’s definitely a good mentor to me, and she’s helped me a lot, especially in my practices,” said Alycia in an interview with Tennis Majors. 

We’ll have to wait and see what Williams does next. 

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