By Scott Hanson / The Seattle Times
Serena Williams, the women’s tennis icon who has won 23 major tournaments in her career, will be on the five-player U.S. team for its Fed Cup qualifying battle against Latvia at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett on Feb. 7-8.
Williams, who will attempt to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles at the upcoming Australian Open, has 13-0 career record in Fed Cup singles competition and is 3-2 in doubles competition. William has competed sporadically in the Fed Cup since first representing the U.S. in 1999 along with her sister Venus.
“Having Serena on the team makes us stronger and will be inspiring for all of us,” said U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi. “We will be bringing an exciting team to Everett.”
Serena last played in the Fed Cup in February 2018, her first competitive match in more than a year after time off for the birth of her daughter. She and Venus lost their doubles match, with Serena not competing in the singles matches.
It certainly would seem she might play singles this year. She is the top-ranked American in the WTA rankings and is coming off a win Sunday at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, her first title in three years.
Williams is ranked No. 9 in the world, one of six Americans in the top 25.
Madison Keys, ranked No. 11, Sofia Kenin, No. 15, and Alison Riske, No. 19, all have Fed Cup experience and have indicated to Rinaldi that they are interested in competing for the U.S. in February. Ditto for Sloane Stephens, winner of the 2017 U.S. Open and No.25 in the WTA rankings.
Rinaldi has until Jan. 28 to announce her entire team, but has said she hopes to do so before then.
But what is certain is she will have the game’s biggest name with Serena Williams, 38. It is the first time Williams has played in the Northwest since 2011, when she played in an exhibition match in Eugene, Oregon.
At stake in the two-day competition in Everett is a spot in the 12-team Fed Cup finals, to be played in Budapest, Hungary, from April 14-19.
The best-of-five match competition in Everett begins with two singles matches on Friday night. On Saturday is the reverse singles (the same four players with the pairings reversed) and the doubles match.
Tickets can be purchased at usta.com/fedcup. Two-day ticket packages start at $50. Single-day tickets start at $30.
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