In Indian Wells, Novak Djokovic was asked what he thought Serena Williams would return to professional tennis.
Now that she is officially eligible as of February 22nd, everyone believes her return is imminent.
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Serena hasn’t publicly announced she’s returning, but fans have seen her serve practice in her social media posts, and Alicia Parks recently released a video of a practice session with the 44-year-old, who is retiring in September 2022.
What Novak Djokovic said
I think Djokovic could play singles and doubles with his sister Venus, which would be a huge plus for tennis fans and the sport in general.
He admitted that if he were in Serena’s shoes, he would keep his plans similar to the vest.
This is an interesting statement as many people are speculating what Djokovic’s future plans are. Fans caught a video of him spending some quiet time on the Indian Wells practice field and wondered if it meant anything.
We’ll let you know when Serena Williams is ready.
Serena may not be sure what she wants to do. She won’t come back if she doesn’t believe she can compete at a high level.
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She also has two children and a busy family life to balance. When she retired she only had her eldest daughter, so there are more things to consider. We know she’s a hands-on parent and occasionally shares relatable anti-fatigue social media posts.
If we are correct that Djokovic will play doubles, her decision may also have something to do with Venus. Venus was scheduled to play doubles with Leylah Fernandez in Indian Wells, but was not included in the official draw. No explanation was provided. Each is only playing singles.
The return of Serena Williams has the potential to be one of the most exciting tennis stories of the 2026 season. We’ll keep waiting, wondering, and guessing until we know something for sure.
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(tagsTotranslation)Novak Djokovic
