Djokovic Predicts Williams Wimbledon Return

Novak Djokovic expressed strong belief Wednesday that Serena Williams is poised for a return to professional tennis, fueling widespread anticipation in the sport as he arrived for the Indian Wells Masters.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, speaking to reporters at the ATP-WTA event in California, predicted Williams might make her comeback at Wimbledon, the grass-court major where she has won seven singles titles. "I think she's coming back," Djokovic said. "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."

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, has not competed since a third-round exit at the 2022 U.S. Open. The 44-year-old American, a mother of two, retired from the sport in September of that year but reentered the anti-doping testing pool in December. According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, she completed six months of out-of-competition testing and became eligible to play professionally starting February 23.

Her move sparked immediate speculation, though Williams has remained coy about her intentions. In an earlier...