Allen Kee/ESPN Images(NEW YORK) — Four months after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Serena Williams will be playing in her first match. Williams, 36, will face defending French Open champion and seventh-ranked Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition on Dec. 30 during the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, tournament organizers announced Sunday.
“I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dahbi for the first time since the birth of my daughter in September,” Williams said in a statement. “The Mubadala World Tennis Championship 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.”
The last time Williams was on the court was in January, when she won the Australian Open, her record 23rd Grand Slam title while approximately eight weeks pregnant. With her return at Mubadala, it is very likely Williams, currently the 22nd ranked player in the world, will get the chance to defend her title in Australia, since the tournament starts on Jan. 15.
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