After deciding not to play in the Australian Open following the birth of her daughter, Serena Williams is getting back on the court at the Fed Cup this weekend as Team U.S. tries for its second straight title and 19th overall.
She will play in a doubles rubber match with Lauren Davis in the USA’s Fed Cup tie against the Netherlands. She will take on Dutch pair Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs. The announcement came after USA captain Kathy Rinaldi deflected questions about Serena's return earlier Saturday.
The international tournament takes place in three weekends spread throughout the year and breaks up the teams into groups depending on the ranking that are calculated based on results from previous years. The U.S. is ranked second overall and therefore placed in the highest group — World Group I.
Lineup
Joining Serena Williams on the U.S. Team roster is sister Venus as well as world No. 17 Coco Vandeweghe, and Lauren Davis. The lineup format consists of four singles matches and one doubles match. The team that wins three matches first advances on.
This will be Serena's sixth year playing the tournament since 1999. Her overall record sits at 16-1, with her lone loss coming in a doubles match in 2015. For Venus, the current No. 8 ranked player in the world, this will be the 10th time competing and third straight. Vandeweghe is coming off of a stellar 2017 Fed Cup performance that saw her win all eight of her matches to help propel the U.S. to its 18th title. This will be Davis' fourth appearance in the last five years. She has a losing record in the Fed Cup at 1-2 but is coming off a solid showing in the Australian Open.
Schedule
The first round for the U.S. team will take place in Asheville's U.S. Cellular Center over two days, finishing on Sunday, Feb. 11. In Saturday's action, Venus Williams and Vandeweghe won their rubber matches against their Dutch opponents within two and three matches, respectively.
How to watch
To watch Serena and the rest of the U.S. in action, you can head to the Tennis Channel for live coverage starting at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Saturday Scores
World Group — First Round
Belarus 1, Germany 1
Czech Republic 2, Switzerland 0
France 1, Belgium 1
USA 2, Netherlands 0