Maksim Chmerkovskiy Teases ‘DWTS’ Season 25 Return, Says He’s Ready To Win

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is teasing his potential return to Dancing with the Stars Season 25.

Although the official line-up of professionals and celebrities hasn’t yet been confirmed by ABC, Maksim is teasing that he may be heading back to the show once again after admitting this week that he’s ready to win.

“If I join the show, if I join the season, it’s not to skate by and just win the money,” Chmerkovskiy told the International Business Times ahead of Season 25.

Although he didn’t explicitly confirm that he’d be back again this year, Maksim told the site that he’s “not an irresponsible athlete.”

He added, “I’m on the season to do my best and maybe win.”

There’s been much speculation over whether the new dad will be back on DWTS after suffering an injury earlier this year while dancing with former Glee star Heather Morris.

As fans of the ABC show will remember, Chmerkovskiy suffered a calf muscle injury while dancing with Heather that left him out of action for four weeks. When he finally returned to DWTS, the couple were shockingly eliminated in a huge upset.

And it sounds like that dramatic exit earlier this year — despite Heather being one of the favorites to win — could be what’s pushing Maksim to return again.

The official line-up of professional dancers for Dancing with the Stars Season 25 is set to be announced on Good Morning America on August 24, which could be why Maksim was a little more reluctant to confirm or deny if he’ll be dancing again just yet.

There’s been much chatter over whether Chmerkovskiy will be back after his new wife and fellow DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd hinted earlier this year that they may both take some time away from the show to focus on being parents to their 8-month-old son, Shai.

“To be honest, we don’t know yet,” Peta told Entertainment Tonight on July 31 when asked if she and Maksim will be heading back to the competition series for Season 25.

“We’re sort of waiting to hear things, waiting to see what our schedules are going be like,” the DWTS pro continued earlier this year, adding that she wants to be around for her son and not spending all her time focusing on the show.

“I don’t want to spend 10 hours away a day from my child, so those things factor into it for me,” she said. “I’m a mom now and that comes first, you know?”

And it sounds like Maksim is just as dedicated to his new life as a dad after he and Peta welcomed their son into the world in January.

“It’s been amazing,” Chmerkovskiy said of his first few months as a dad in the new interview. “I mean every little sneeze and fart and all of that stuff is just exciting.”

“When they start to do actual adult things, like stand up, or start crawling, or saying their first word, those are monumental moments,” Maksim continued of his baby son. “So we’ve had two of those already, and it’s just been a lot of fun.”

While fans will have to wait and see if Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd return for another round of DWTS shows, there’s already been some big names linked to the upcoming season, including legendary singer Celine Dion.

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 is set to begin on September 18 on ABC.

[Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]