Djokovic on Serena: Cool the Criticism, Enjoy the Greatness
Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 2, 2026
Photo credit: TPN/Getty
Wimbledon—When he’s not preoccupied pushing opponents around the court, Novak Djokovic is sometimes pressing buttons watching the sport he’s dominated.
The Grand Slam king is a devoted tennis fan and has watched friend and fellow GOAT Serena Williams’ comeback with great interest.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has a message for Serena’s critics: Cool it on the criticism and enjoy the greatness.
“People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything,” Djokovic said. “Let’s just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport.”
Playing her first pro singles match in more than three years, nine months, the 44-year-old Serena Williams bowed to Aussie Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 before a packed Centre Court crowd on Tuesday night.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena has taken shots from some critics first for taking a singles wild card in the first place and secondly for blowing off the mandatory post-match presser after her loss to Joint. Later, Williams’ long-time agent, Jill Smoller, said Serena suffered a knee injury at the end of the opening set, suggesting the injury was a primary reason why the former No. 1 left the grounds without doing press.
Djokovic, who has endured his share of skeptics throughout his long career, defended Williams after sweeping Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Wimbledon third round last night.
“Look, she hasn’t played for years. She had two children,” Djokovic told the media. “I mean, people are used to when we talk about Serena, I mean, also in my case, some great champions, people always
expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years.
“She’s 44. I mean, she has two children. Coming back, it’s normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn’t played a match, I mean, in so many years.”
The 39-year-old superstar said it’s puzzling and disappointing that tennis touts itself as a sport for a lifetime yet when a 40-something Williams wants to come back some critics push back instead of celebrating the return of an iconic champion.
“Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport. I think people sometimes, I don’t know why they don’t appreciate that enough,” Djokovic said. “They just start to speculate, judge or whatever.
“It’s like, Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more attention to your sport.
“For me, I don’t understand this kind of thinking and this kind of approach by people and judgment. But people are people. This is something they’re going to do. I really support Serena. Always have. Hopefully she’s going to play more.”
At Indian Wells in March, Djokovic correctly predicted Serena would comeback at Wimbledon.
Initially, there was speculation four-time Olympic gold-medal champion Serena’s long-term goal was to play the Los Angeles Olympic Games and wrap her glorious career right back in the city where she learned tennis on the cracked public park courts of Compton, California.
At Wimbledon, reigning gold-medal champion Djokovic said he’s not sure what’s next for Serena, but hopes she will play the US Open in August.
“Look, I said it even before the tournament started that what she’s doing is incredible, epic. I’ve always been a fan of Serena,” Djokovic said. “I’m sure she wanted and expected to at least win one match or more.
“Knowing how competitive she is, the mind of a champion that she has, she’s not happy with just showing up on the court. She wants to win.
“I hope for the sake of tennis and all of us that we be able to see her more. Let’s see. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen, whether she’s eager to play on Grand Slams maybe. I assume that US Open is somewhere where she would like to play. I mean, playing in her home slam would be amazing for her and for everyone else.”
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