Serena Williams is on track to make her return to action at the Fed Cup, according to the captain of the American team.
Williams hasn’t played a WTA match for 13 months after taking time away to give birth to her first child. A baby girl named Alexis that was born in September. The former world No.1 was tipped to play at the Australian Open last month, but pulled out because she wasn’t ready. Williams’ only taste of competitive action was against Jelena Ostapenko at an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year. Which she lost in three sets.
The 36-year-old is set to start her comeback this week in the Fed Cup when the USA takes on the Netherlands. It will be her first appearance in the competition since 2015. American captain Kathy Rinaldi has told reporters on Wednesday that the 23-time grand slam champion is ‘ready to go.’
“Serena’s just coming back. She played an exhibition in (December) and it’s incredible,” Reuters news agency quoted Rinaldi saying.
“It’s a quick turnaround after having her first child. She’s very professional and she has a lot of pride for playing for her country. She’ll be ready to go.”
Despite her lengthy absence from the tour, the Netherlands remains wary of Williams’ presence in the tie. The former world No.1 has won 72 WTA titles so far in her career and has scored 172 wins over top 10 players.
“If you look at Serena, how often does she lose to someone that’s not ranked in the Top 10 or Top 20 or outside the Top 100?” said the Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis.
“The odds are not good, but we do believe that it’s possible.”
On Wednesday it was confirmed that Williams has been given a wildcard into the Miami Open. This year will be the last time the tournament will be held in Key Biscayne before it is moved to its new location at the Hard Rock Stadium. The American has won the Miami title a record eight times with the most recent triumph occurring in 2015.
The Fed Cup tie between America and the Netherlands will take place this weekend at the US Cellular Arena in Asheville.
