Williams, 45, continues – will play in Auckland

The American, with seven Grand Slam titles to her credit, made a comeback this summer after a 16-month hiatus.

Williams then played three tournaments – most recently the US Open in New York in September – but won only one of four matches.

Now it looks like the next comeback will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, in early January. Almost eleven years ago, Venus Williams won the tournament, which is a warm-up tournament for the year's first grand slam, the Australian Open.