Serena Williams, 36, returns this weekend in the Federation Cup, in the US-Netherlands quarter-final tie in Asheville, in her first official competition since winning the Australian Open last year.
It will be her return to the slopes after becoming a mother on September 1, and by cesarean section, of a girl, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, and after revealing that after giving birth she had had several blood clots in her lungs that forced her to stay six weeks in bed.
Since winning her 23rd Grand Slam title in Melbourne, Serena has been absent from the courts until she played an exhibition match on December 30 in Abu Dhabi, losing to Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Following this weekend’s Federation Cup, Serena is scheduled to play another exhibition at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 5, and then wants to compete in Indian Wells (March 8-18).
Venus and Coco Vandeweghe will accompany Serena in this competition in which she has not lost a single one of the 13 singles matches (16-1 also counting doubles) that she has played in the nine heats in which she has competed.
Serena’s only defeat in this competition was in doubles with Alison Riske in the deciding match of the World Group play-off against Italy in 2015. Serena has not played in the Federation Cup since 2015, and Venus since the 2016 first round against Poland, within World Group II.
The oldest of the Williams, eighth in the world this week, has won 19 of the 21 singles matches played and combined with the doubles she has an overall record of 23-4.
Asheville, a small city of 70,000 in the state of North Carolina, expects to be hit by $ 3.5 million from this tie, as estimated by the United States Federation (USTA), due in large part to the presence of Serena.
It will be the first defense for the United States, after winning last year against Belarus (3-2) and recovering the title 17 years later. The American team has won in six of the eight pulses held against the Netherlands. Belarus, meanwhile, faces Germany in Minsk, which will not have its two best players Angelique Kerber and Julia Goerges.
Romanian Simona Halep (World Group II), Czech Karolina Pliskova, Ostapenko (Group 1 Europe / Africa) and Venus, are the only four players from the ‘top ten’ who will compete this weekend.
Meanwhile, in World Group II, Spain, with its new captain Anabel Medina at the helm, is measured against Italy seeking a return to the First Division.
Carla Suárez, 29 in the world, champion in Doha 2016 and Oeiras 2014, heads the Spanish team, which also includes Lara Arruabarrena, 82 individual, newcomer Georgina García and veteran María José Martínez, currently in 25th in the doubles ranking and winner of 5 individual titles and 18 doubles.
Veteran Sara Errani, 142, will take the reins of Italy alongside Jasmine Paolini, 158. At her side will be two rookies, Deborah Chiesa, 179, and junior Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
– World Group: Quarter-finals:
In Minsk: Belarus-Germany
In Prague: Czech Republic-Switzerland
In La Roche-sur-Yon: France-Belgium
In Asheville: United States-Netherlands
– World Group II
In Brastislava: Slovakia-Russia
In Canberra: Australia-Ukraine
In Cluj Napoca: Romania-Canada.
In Chieti: Italy-Spain. EFE.
It will be her return to the slopes after becoming a mother on September 1, and by cesarean section, of a girl, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, and after revealing that after giving birth she had had several blood clots in her lungs that forced her to stay six weeks in bed.
Since winning her 23rd Grand Slam title in Melbourne, Serena has been absent from the courts until she played an exhibition match on December 30 in Abu Dhabi, losing to Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Following this weekend’s Federation Cup, Serena is scheduled to play another exhibition at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 5, and then wants to compete in Indian Wells (March 8-18).
Venus and Coco Vandeweghe will accompany Serena in this competition in which she has not lost a single one of the 13 singles matches (16-1 also counting doubles) that she has played in the nine heats in which she has competed.
Serena’s only defeat in this competition was in doubles with Alison Riske in the deciding match of the World Group play-off against Italy in 2015. Serena has not played in the Federation Cup since 2015, and Venus since the 2016 first round against Poland, within World Group II.
The oldest of the Williams, eighth in the world this week, has won 19 of the 21 singles matches played and combined with the doubles she has an overall record of 23-4.
Asheville, a small city of 70,000 in the state of North Carolina, expects to be hit by $ 3.5 million from this tie, as estimated by the United States Federation (USTA), due in large part to the presence of Serena.
It will be the first defense for the United States, after winning last year against Belarus (3-2) and recovering the title 17 years later. The American team has won in six of the eight pulses held against the Netherlands. Belarus, meanwhile, faces Germany in Minsk, which will not have its two best players Angelique Kerber and Julia Goerges.
Romanian Simona Halep (World Group II), Czech Karolina Pliskova, Ostapenko (Group 1 Europe / Africa) and Venus, are the only four players from the ‘top ten’ who will compete this weekend.
Meanwhile, in World Group II, Spain, with its new captain Anabel Medina at the helm, is measured against Italy seeking a return to the First Division.
Carla Suárez, 29 in the world, champion in Doha 2016 and Oeiras 2014, heads the Spanish team, which also includes Lara Arruabarrena, 82 individual, newcomer Georgina García and veteran María José Martínez, currently in 25th in the doubles ranking and winner of 5 individual titles and 18 doubles.
Veteran Sara Errani, 142, will take the reins of Italy alongside Jasmine Paolini, 158. At her side will be two rookies, Deborah Chiesa, 179, and junior Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
– World Group: Quarter-finals:
In Minsk: Belarus-Germany
In Prague: Czech Republic-Switzerland
In La Roche-sur-Yon: France-Belgium
In Asheville: United States-Netherlands
– World Group II
In Brastislava: Slovakia-Russia
In Canberra: Australia-Ukraine
In Cluj Napoca: Romania-Canada.
In Chieti: Italy-Spain. EFE.