Serena Williams has not played a competitive match since winning the 2017 Australian Open. (Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images)Any doubt that Serena Williams would be back in time for the start of the 2018 tennis season was all but erased Sunday morning, when the 23-time Grand Slam champion delivered an early Christmas present for her fans. Williams will play Dec. 30 in an exhibition match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi against world No. 7 and defending French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, the tournament announced. Williams and Ostapenko will be the first women to play in the tournament, which started in 2009.

Source: Washington Post December 24, 2017 19:18 UTC