PARIS — As ever, Serena Williams is a conversation starter.
She has generated debate inside and outside of tennis since she took her first swings on the pro tour at age 14 at a time when the WTA had banned 14-year-olds from its main circuit.
Now that she has become one of her sport’s greatest champions and a new mother, Williams, 36, continues to set the agenda.
Despite her Open-era record of 23 major singles titles, she is unseeded at the French Open, where she is scheduled to play Kristyna Pliskova on Tuesday in her first match at a Grand Slam tournament in 16 months.