By Adrianna Outlaw | Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Serena Williams is undecided about defending her Australian Open title, coach Patrick Mouratoglou said.
Photo credit: Zimbio
Serena Williams recently took a walk down the aisle in New Orleans.
The reigning Australian Open champion is undecided about walking on court to defend her Australian Open title in January.
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Coach Patrick Mouratoglou told CNN he will join Serena for training in Florida where the pair will decide if she will play the Australian Open, which is set for January 15-28th.
“She is practicing and getting back in shape,” Mouratoglou told CNN. “I will be joining her soon in Florida. We will see how her body is reacting and how her tennis level is and we will take a decision regarding Australia.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is currently ranked No. 22, but would surely be seeded higher if she plays Melbourne. Williams has not played a match since defeating sister Venus, 6-4, 6-4, in the Australian Open final for her Open Era-record 23rd Grand Slam title.
It’s been a life-changing year for Williams, who gave birth to her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia, on September 1st. The 36-year-old Williams married fiancé Alexis Ohanian on November 16th in a star-studded New Orleans ceremony featuring Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, Venus and Colton Haynes in attendance.
The newlyweds are currently honeymooning in the Bahamas leaving Williams with a bit less than six weeks to train before the Australian Open begins.
Both Serena and Mouratoglou have said she plans to returns to tournament tennis in 2018 with her coach suggesting Williams is aiming to break Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam championships.
In a conference call with the media during the summer, Williams said she’s fully committed to a comeback, but conceded she did not know how she’d feel after giving birth.
“Obviously, ideally I would love to come back,” Williams said. “I plan on coming back. I plan on playing. But at the same time, this is a whole new chapter in my life. So I’ll see how that is.”
If Serena opts to skip Melbourne, she could return at either Indian Wells or Miami in March. Williams owns homes in Florida and California. She is an eight-time Miami Open champion.