New mum Serena Williams has accepted a place at the 2018 Australian Open and is “anticipated to return” to the tennis tournament in January, less than five months after giving birth, organisers said Friday. The defending women’s champion was among 98 of the 100 top women, and all of the men’s top 100, to be “confirmed” for the season’s opening Grand Slam, they said. (Read | Svetlana Kuznetsova out of Australian Open tennis with wrist injury)World number ones Simona Halep and 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will both be in Melbourne, but all eyes will be on Williams, who won this year’s tournament while pregnant. Tournament director Craig Tiley said this week it was “highly likely” she will make her comeback at the opening Grand Slam of the season, and he repeated those sentiments Friday. The tournament is also set to see the return of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka, who have all been out with injuries.

Source: Hindustan Times December 08, 2017 05:26 UTC