Serena Returns In Abu Dhabi

Serena Williams fell just short in her first competitive match in 11 months at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, but showed plenty of the shots that won her 23 Grand Slam titles.

Williams narrowly fell to Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 3-6, [10-5]. After dropping the first set, the reigning Australian Open champion picked up her form and cracked numerous return winners to the delight of the crowd.

Despite the loss, Williams said she was happy to be back competing again.

“I’m excited. It’s good to be back on the court,” she said in an on-court interview after the match. “First matches are always super-incredible hard, especially after having a baby. It was great. I was glad I could do it here.”

Williams, currently No. 22 in the WTA rankings, is next scheduled to participate in the Australian Open. Although she has not officially declared she will play, the defending champion is on the entry list and tournament director Craig Tiley said she is “very likely” to compete when the tournament begins on Jan. 15.