NEW YORK, Jan 16 — Serena Williams will return to the United States Fed Cup team for a qualifying event against Latvia next month, the United States Tennis Association said yesterday.

The 23-times Grand Slam winner, who will begin her quest to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 singles titles at the Australian Open next week, last played for the US in February 2018 following the birth of her daughter.

Williams’ presence in Everett, Washington for the Feb. 7-8 tie will be a huge boost for the US with the 38-year-old having posted a perfect mark of 13-0 in singles play and 3-2 in doubles in Fed Cup competition since 1999.

The winner advances to the 2020 Fed Cup Finals from April 14-19 in Budapest.

The US squad can feature as many as five players and the final nominations must be made by Jan. 28. — Reuters