Serena Williams is scheduled to play Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan on Thursday night in Indian Wells, Calif., in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open, her first WTA tournament since the birth of her daughter.
Williams, 36, has not played a tour event since winning the Australian Open on Jan. 28, 2017, when she was about two months pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1, and then spent six weeks in bed because of serious complications from childbirth. She did not resume practicing until December.
Williams officially returned to professional tennis on Feb.