Novak Djokovic is confident that US tennis legend Serena Williams will make a return to competitive tennis, describing the 24-time Grand Slam champion as “one of the greatest athletes” and expressing excitement at the prospect of seeing her back on court.

“I think she’s coming back,” Djokovic said Wednesday at the ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters. “I haven’t spoken to her, but the sentiment is that she’s coming back. Where and how, singles or doubles, we don’t know. If I were in her position, I’d probably keep it private too.”

Williams, who has not played since a third-round exit at the 2022 US Open, re-entered the anti-doping testing pool in December, regaining eligibility to compete. Initially, she denied planning a comeback, but in January she told NBC’s Today show, “That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.”

Djokovic said the tennis world is abuzz at the possibility. “Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something highly anticipated,” he added.

Serena’s sister, Venus Williams, 45, accepted a wild card into the Indian Wells singles draw and will face France’s Diane Parry in the first round. Djokovic suggested Serena could return at Wimbledon, where she has won seven singles titles.

“I’d pick that tournament for her comeback,” he said. “Maybe she’ll play a doubles tournament or two with Venus. That would be great for fans and for tennis in general.”

Djokovic, seeded third at Indian Wells, is playing his first event since falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, after defeating Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

“For me, that Australian Open run was phenomenal,” the 38-year-old said. “I proved to myself—and to others—that I can still compete at the highest level. So why not keep going as long as I have the fire, the quality, and the motivation? The goals are always there: another title, another Slam. I came close in Australia.”

Djokovic, who shares the record for most Indian Wells titles with Swiss great Roger Federer, has not reached the quarter-finals since his last title run in 2016. He will begin his 2026 campaign on Saturday against either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.