By Nick Georgandis
TennisNow.com
There is yet another new date scheduled for Serena Williams' return to the court: March 8.
Nike has announced that Williams, along with Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, will compete in the "Nike Clash of Champions" on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Williams hasn't played a tour match since winning Wimbledon over Vera Zvonareva last July. The following week she played an exhibition against Kim Clijsters in Belgium, the largest-attended match in the sport's history, then cut her foot on a piece of glass outside a restaurant.
Thought initially to be a minor injury, the cut instead cut the rest of Williams' season short, even as she made commitments to play tournament after tournament, only to pull out at later dates. She was seen on crutches, and then with the foot in a large boot, while being photographed by paparazzi at various social engagements, most of them in Southern California or New York City.
At no point since the cut happened has any member of Williams' camp given a specific injury name, or what surgeries were performed.
The exhibition, which will take at the University of Oregon's Phil Knight Arena, named for the CEO of Nike, will feature Williams vs. Sharapova in a singles match, then a mixed doubles competition between the four, followed by a Nadal vs. Federer singles' match.
The event's organizers give the ominous warning: “it is possible that one or more of the advertised athletes will not be able to participate.” A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit each of the four athletes' charitable foundations.
Last season, Williams played only six events, compiling a 25-4 record and winning the titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. When Monday's rankings come out, she will lose 2,000 points for failing to defend the Australian, dropping her into the middle-teens in the WTA rankings.