The tennis circuit may currently be decimated by the absence of a number of stars, but the most successful of all, Serena Williams, is plotting her return.
Due to give birth next month, the heavily pregnant Williams told Vogue in a wide-ranging interview which touched on race and body image that she is targeting a comeback at January's Australian Open.
"It's the most outrageous plan," she said. "I just want to put that out there. That's, like, three months after I give birth. I'm not walking anything back, but I'm just saying it's pretty intense.
"In this game, you can go dark fast. If I lose, and I lose again, it's like, she's done. Especially since I'm not 20 years old. I'll tell you this much: I won't win less. Either I win, or I don't play."
Williams went on to say that she feels some of the criticism she receives for her confrontational attitude on the court is partly due to her race.
"I feel like people think I'm mean," she said. "Really tough and really mean and really street. I believe that the other girls in the locker room will say, 'Serena's really nice'...