Serena Williams to play exhibition match in Oregon alongside Sharapova
American tennis player and former World Number 1 Serena Williams will reportedly be returning to tennis at an exhibition match held in Oregon on 8 March, 2011. The 29-year old pro’s last match was also an exho, and she has not played in a professional tournament
since her 2010 Wimbledon success. The exhibition match may signal her return to competitive tennis, although she has not confirmed or denied this yet.
The exhibition will also feature World Number 1 Rafael Nadal, World Number 2 Roger Federer and another former World Number 1 Maria Sharapova. The actual event is sponsored by Nike and called the “Nike Clash of the Champions”. The four advertised athletes
have won a collective total of 41 titles.
However, the website includes a footnote stating that, “it is possible that one or more of the advertised athletes will not be able to participate.” This clause has fans on the alert, as it would not be the first time that Williams has dropped out of a tournament.
The tennis superstar is scheduled to play a set against Maria Sharapova, as well as a mixed doubles set and a single set against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Serena has not played since July; this has resulted in the loss of her top position and eventually her place in the WTA's Top 10. She cited an injury sustained due to a shard of glass cutting into her foot in Germany as the reason, and has had two operations
since then.
Fans suspect that Nadal is also likely to drop out of the tournament, as he tore a muscle in his right leg at the 2011 Australian Open last month. This injury is also thought to be the cause of his quarterfinal loss to David Ferrer, and reports say he will
need at least ten days to recover completely.
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