Serena Williams could be back to defend Australian title

FILE: Serena Williams (Photo: Serena Williams/Facebook)

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Open officials are hopeful Serena Williams will make her competitive comeback to tennis next January to defend the title at Melbourne Park.

At a news conference Tuesday called to announce an increase in prize money for the year’s first major, tournament director Craig Tiley said Williams was planning on playing the Jan. 15-28 Australian Open.

Williams was pregnant last January when she beat her sister Venus in the final. Serena gave birth to a daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1 and has previously said she plans to return to playing in 2018.

If that’s in Melbourne, she’ll be competing for more money. Tiley said the overall prize pool would be 55 million Australian dollars ($42.7 million.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $A4 million (about $3.1 million depending on exchange rates), an increase of 20 per cent.