Serena eyes an Aussie return

The women’s draw might not be so kind in the next Grand Slam.

Serena Williams is due to give birth to her first child in September, and has missed the past three Grand Slams because of her pregnancy, but her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said the 23-time major winner could return to the court in time for January’s Australian Open.

“That’s the goal,” Mouratoglou told SI.com. “It’ll depend on the date from when she can really be back working at 100 percent.”

Since winning this year’s Australian Open, and revealing her pregnancy in April, Williams hasn’t played on tour, but the 35-year-old has continued hitting, in hopes it will reduce her time to return to the court.

Still, it won’t be quickly enough for Williams.

“Serena wants to play again in September, but she’s dreaming,” Mouratoglou said. “It’s something new for her and we don’t know how her body is going to react, or even how the birth is going to go.

“I believe 100 percent in her returning to her best level. There’s no guarantee in sports but that an outstanding challenge for her. She nearly owns all the records so she needs new challenges. It’s great.”

Roger Federer made a surprise appearance at Central Park on Wednesday, holding his practice at the famed Manhattan landmark.

Initially, Federer just wanted to avoid the longer drive to Flushing, but the 19-time Grand Slam winner loved playing on the public court.

“It was a totally different experience,” Federer said following his second-round win. “I think it was very refreshing. Hopefully I can do these things more often. ... Having a fun practice session and being in a totally different surrounding where all 20 courts stopped playing and came to watch you play, it was really different. People were just happy to see you there, meet you, talk to you, maybe get a photo of you. They didn’t care about autographs. It was a different crowd.”