Serena Williams has joined a star-studded field for the Cincinnati Open next month using her protected ranking.
Also known as the Western and Southern Open, the tournament serves as a tuneup for the US Open scheduled for the end of August.
Williams is still getting into the thick of singles tennis after being out for almost a year due to injury. She returned to the Tour at Wimbledon but fell in the first round but does not appear in any mood to hang up her racket even though she is two months shy of her 41st birthday.
Before Cincinnati Open, Serena Williams will also play at the National Bank Open in Toronto from Aug. 6-14 after she elected to use her protected ranking to enter the main draw
Williams, the oldest player in the men’s and women’s fields this year, has won the tournament in Cincinnati twice in her career in 2014 and 2015 while she was runner-up in 2013.
The world number ones Daniil Medvedev and Iga Swiatek will headline the Aug. 13-21 tournament.
Former women’s champions Victoria Azarenka, Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza, and Karolina Pliskova are also in the field while the women’s draw also includes Grandslam champions Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep, Bianca Andreescu, Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova and newly-crowned Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina.
Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, who have won 43 majors between them, will headline the men’s field which also includes former champions Alexander Zverev( who missed Wimbledon with injury) Grigor Dimitrov, and Marin Cilic
