Serena Williams set to make comeback at 2018 Australian Open, say organizers

What's the story?

The organizers of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the calendar year, stated on Wednesday that defending champion Serena Williams is "very likely" to make her comeback at the event.

Tournament director Craig Tiley was quoted as saying by Melbourne's Herald Sun, "She's got her visa, she's entered, she's practicing and she's probably just got to find a bit more space for a bigger entourage."

He added, "There's no question that she will be ready in our view and she wants to break Margaret Court's record."

In case you didn't know

The American superstar won the Australian Open in 2017, where she defeated her sister Venus Williams 6-4 6-4 in the final.

In April, she had announced that she would miss the rest of the season as she was 20 weeks pregnant, which meant that she was roughly eight weeks into her pregnancy when she won the final in Melbourne.

She gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, in September and just four months later, she is set to make her comeback.

The heart of the matter

The Australian Open kicks off next month and Williams will be looking for her 24th Grand Slam singles title and eighth at the tournament.

Tiley also spoke about how the event is a "family-friendly" one and referring to Williams and her baby, he cited the example of how Roger Federer travels with four children.

What's next?

The competition is slated to be held from January 15-28 next year and will feature the biggest stars in the game vying to be crowned champion.

Author's take

Williams' likely return is certainly good news for fans, who will certainly be looking forward to seeing her back in action.