Serena Williams to return in Fed Cup
Serena Williams will return to competition for the first time in more than a year at the Fed Cup matches against the Netherlands next month in Asheville, N.C.
Williams has not played an official match since winning the Australian Open in January 2017 for her 23rd Grand Slam singles title. She was pregnant during that tournament and gave birth to a daughter on Sept. 1.
Joining Williams on U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi’s roster is older sister Venus, a seven-time major champion.
Also on the team: CoCo Vandeweghe, a semifinalist at the Australian Open and U.S. Open last year. A fourth member will be announced next week.
Sam Querrey, John Isner, Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson are on the U.S. Davis Cup roster that will play at Serbia — minus Novak Djokovic — in the first round next month. The highestranked American man, No. 9 Jack Sock, was not included in captain Jim Courier’s team.
Outfielder Curtis Granderson and the Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a $5-million, one-year contract. The 36-year-old split last season between the New York Mets and Dodgers, hitting .212 with 26 home runs in 527 plate appearances.
Center fielder Austin Jackson agreed to a $6-million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, a week after the Giants traded for right fielder Andrew McCutchen.
Former top Houston Astros prospect Jon Singleton and Houston pitcher Dean Deetz have been suspended after testing positive for banned drugs. Deetz who drew an 80-game ban, has never played in the majors but is on Houston’s 40-man roster. Singleton was banned 100 games after a third positive test for a drug of abuse.
Alex Rodriguez is taking over for Aaron Boone again, this time moving into the ESPN booth for Sunday night baseball. Rodriguez fills the ESPN spot held last season by Boone, hired last month to manage the New York Yankees. Rodriguez replaced Boone as the Yankees’ third baseball for the 2004 season. Running back Jordan Scarlett and three other Florida football players suspended last season amid felony fraud charges have rejoined team activities. Receiver Rick Wells and linebackers James Houston and Ventrell Miller also are enrolled in school and expected to take part in team workouts Wednesday. Those four, and three others, were charged with fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft.
Marcel Hirscher won a World Cup night slalom at Schladming, Austria, after his Norwegian rival, Henrik Kristoffersen, had snowballs thrown at him by spectators during his final run.
Hirscher got his ninth win of the season and 54th overall, matching Austrian great Hermann Maier’s career total. It was the 500th win for Austria in the 51-year history of the men’s World Cup.
Teenager Joaquin Niemann of Chile closed with an eight-underpar 63 for a five-shot victory in the Latin America Amateur Championship at Santiago to earn an invitation to the Masters.