United States’ Serena Williams celebrates after defeating Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. AP
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Serena Williams is returning to competition with an exhibition match Saturday (Sunday Manila time) in Abu Dhabi against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Williams has not competed since winning the Australian Open last January while she was pregnant. She will face Latvia’s Ostapenko at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in the first year that women will be taking part, tournament organizers announced Sunday (Monday Manila time).
“I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the birth of my daughter in September,” the 36-year-old Williams said in a statement.
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record for the professional era. She is expected to compete for her 24th at the Australian Open, the first major of the year.
Williams gave birth to a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. on Sept. 1. She married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November.
“The Mubadala World Tennis Championship has long marked the beginning of the men’s global tennis season and I am excited and honored to be making my comeback as part of the first women to participate in the event,” Williams said.
The Australian Open starts Jan. 15.