Serena set for Grand Slam return

PARIS — Three-time champion Serena Williams will make her eagerlyawaited return to Grand Slam tennis on Tuesday with a French Open firstround match against Kristyna Pliskova on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 36-year-old last played a major tournament in a victorious 2017 Australian Open campaign while two months pregnant, before taking time out of the game to give birth to her daughter.

Serena has since crashed to 453 in the world as a result, although she was able to use her protected ranking to enter the French Open.

The former world number one briefly returned for the American hardcourt season, but suffered early losses to sister Venus and Naomi Osaka in Indian Wells and Miami respectively.

A run to the title at Roland Garros so soon into her comeback may be unlikely, but Serena can never be ruled out and victory would draw her level with Margaret Court's alltimerecordof 24GrandSlam singles titles.

Should she get through the first couple of rounds, Serena appears to have been handed a good draw, although may have a potential last-16 clash with Kristyna Pliskova's sister and sixth seed Karolina, who reached the semifinals last year.

There has been controversy surrounding the decision by French Open organizers not to give her a seeding, with Wimbledon likely to do just that for their tournament in July based on her grasscourt pedigree.

But fellow former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka have both backed Roland Garros, saying that Serena shouldn't get special treatment.

Azarenka herself wasn't given a seeding at Wimbledon last year after returning to the game following the birth of her son.

"This conversation was not on the table last year when I was coming back and I was not seeded in Wimbledon," the Belarusian said after her first-round loss to Katerina Siniakova on Monday.