Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic expects American tennis legend Serena Williams to return to competition, saying he is 'excited to see one of the greatest athletes' back on the court. Djokovic said on the sidelines of the Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday: 'I think she will come back. I don't know, but I think she might play one or two doubles tournaments with Venus. And if I were in her shoes, I would keep it a secret too.' Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, has not participated in any tournament since losing in the third round of the US Open in 2022. But the 44-year-old, a mother of two, returned last December to the anti-doping program and regained her eligibility to compete. She initially denied her intention to return, but in January she refrained from ruling out the idea, telling NBC's 'Today' show: 'This is not a yes or no. It would be great to see her come back too.' Djokovic, seeded third in Indian Wells, is playing his first tournament since losing the Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, after beating Italian Jannik Sinner, the champion of the last two editions, in the semi-final. The 38-year-old player said: 'For me, it was an amazing result. I was close in Australia.' Djokovic has five Indian Wells titles, sharing the record with Swiss Roger Federer, but he has not reached the quarter-finals since his last triumph in 2016. He will start his journey on Saturday against the winner between Frenchman Geoffrey M'bapeh Pericard and Pole Kamil Majchszak. 'I want to win, I want to get another title, maybe another Grand Slam. I don't know, I haven't spoken to her, but the general impression is that she will come back. It would be nice to see that, from my point of view or from the point of view of tennis fans,' he added. 'She is truly one of the greatest athletes. I don't know, we'll see what happens,' Djokovic, who has also won 24 Grand Slam titles, said, noting that players are talking about the possibility of her return: 'Everyone is excited, and this is definitely highly anticipated.' Her older sister Venus, 45, received a wildcard to compete in the singles in Indian Wells, where she will face Frenchwoman Diane Babalian in the first round. Djokovic speculated that Serena would choose Wimbledon, where she has won the singles title seven times, to mark her return to the court. 'I also lean towards Wimbledon for her comeback. Where and how, in singles or doubles, we don't know. She first has to prove to herself and others that she can still compete at the highest level and beat these young players,' he said. 'Logic says: why not continue as long as I have the passion, the fire, the quality and the motivation? There are always goals and ambitions.'
