Abu Dhabi: Former World No.1 Serena Williams will make a surprise comeback at the Mubadala tennis exhibition event here next Saturday, as she gears up for her Australian Open title defence in January.
The decision to play in the UAE should virtually confirm Serena’s participation at Melbourne Park. The 36-year-old has not played since clinching a 23rd Grand Slam singles title 11 months ago at the venue, after revealing she was pregnant during the tournament and taking time off to give birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia in September.
Serena will return with a match against Latvia’s French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, making them the first women to compete in the previously male-only event.
“I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the birth of my daughter,” Serena said in a statement released by the tournament organisers here Monday. “The Mubadala World Tennis Championships has long marked the beginning of the men’s global tennis season and I am excited and honoured to be making my comeback as part of the first women to participate in the event.”
Serena can equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles if she retains her Australian Open women’s singles crown, although she will have to make do with a low seeding Down Under after slipping to 22nd in the rankings.
The six-strong men’s field will feature Serb Novak Djokovic, who will also be making his comeback. The 12-time Grand Slam champion has not played competitively since his quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon because of an elbow injury.
Agence-France-Presse
