Michael Phelps stated on twitter following his DUI arrest that he’ll be taking time away from swimming in order to attend a program, raising questions whether it will be the end of a recent comeback, however, fellow Olympian and American swimmer Ryan Lochte doesn’t believe that this is the end.

“The number one thing that he’s doing right now is to making sure that he’s healthy and everything, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he will be back in the water,” Lochte said.

Lochte, whose career has been intertwined with Phelps’ spanning a total of three Olympic Games, four World Championships, and three Pan Pacific Championships, believes that his love for the sport will once again drive him into the pool.

“He loves this sport, he loves the excitement of just getting on those blocks and racing,” Lochte said. “I think I was like the only one that said after London when he said he retired that he was going to be back because once you’re in that racing mode…it’s hard to get rid of and I think that’s the reason…because he missed that excitement of racing the best people in the world.”

Phelps definitely had his fair share of excitement in the pool this summer at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships where he won three golds and two silvers including a victory in the 100m fly where he ended the season ranked first in the world.

He qualified to swim at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia, however following his arrest USA Swimming decided to withdraw him from the roster and hand him a six month suspension from competition.

Fellow national team member, Natalie Coughlin, who will be attending short course worlds this December, said she spoke to Phelps, “I reached out to him…just to tell him how much we care about him and we want him to be well.”

Coughlin didn’t predict whether or not Phelps will return to the pool, but she is hopeful, “hopefully we’ll see him back in the pool…for us to see him race whenever he can, it’s incredible.”

For now, Phelps’ future holds a trial date on December 19th, but Lochte still remains positive that the most decorated Olympian of all time will return, and will do so in top form to race the world, “there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be ready for Rio.”