Serena Williams' ex-coach, with Djokovic in mind, sends biggest challenge to American about possible tennis comeback

Serena Williams' former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has expressed his desire to see the tennis legend come out of retirement in 2026. In his appeal to the American, Mouratoglou mentioned a similar sentiment shared by Novak Djokovic earlier this year.

Williams played her last match at the 2022 US Open. However, earlier in December 2025, her name appeared in the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP), sparking her comeback rumors. The ITIA states that before participating in tournaments, a player must be available for at least six months of testing.

Nevertheless, the 23-time Grand Slam winner quashed the rumors, saying on X:

"Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy."

With another tweet soon after, the 44-year-old again raised her fans' hopes, as she wrote:

"Feeling strongly about claiming my mojo back."

Meanwhile, in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, December 30, Patrick Mouratoglou said:

"I would love to see in 2026 a comeback from Serena. Why not? We've all seen the footage of Serena, ripped. She's ready physically. She's worked hard. She looks so fit, so ready. She loves tennis. Novak said he would love to see her back. She posted a video of herself playing tennis. So why not?"

The Frenchman, who coached Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022, added:

"I would love to see if she can compete at the age she has without playing one single tournament for three years, giving birth for the second time. Can she compete with the best? Because she's Serena. She's the best of all time. What is her level? I would love to see that. And I know I'm not the only one."

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What did Novak Djokovic say about Serena Williams' potential comeback?

Miami Open 2019 - Source: Getty

Ahead of his first-round match at the 2025 US Open, Novak Djokovic showered praise on Serena Williams before jokingly challenging her to return to the court.

He said (via Tennis365):

"Seeing Serena, you know, in any shape or form around tennis is great. You know, we miss her. And she still hasn’t officially retired, so I invite her. I challenge her because she’s such a great competitor. So when somebody challenges her, she never refuses. So I challenge Serena. Come back on the tour next year.”

At an event in 2022, after the US Open, Williams said:

“I am not retired. The chances of me returning are very high. You can come to my house and see that I have a court. I still haven’t really thought about it."

Earlier this month, F1 legend Lewis Hamilton also expressed his wish to see Serena Williams make a comeback.

Edited by Parag Jain