Serena Williams has signed on to play the clay-court tournament in Båstad, Sweden next summer, the tournament announced. The event begins a week after Wimbledon ends.
The 15-time Grand Slam champion has never played a clay-court tournament after Wimbledon before. Bastad begins the week before the tournament at Stanford, where Williams is the two-time defending champion.
It is believed that Williams will receive a healthy appearance fee to play the event, which is the smallest level of a WTA tournament. The Swedish Tennis Association just announced it has signed a three-year deal with clothing giant H & M, which sponsors all three ATP and WTA events held in the country.
"I've never been to Sweden but I've heard it's a lovely country with a lot of tennis fans," said Williams in a statement. "I can't wait to come and enjoy it for myself. I'm really looking forward to come to the courts where Borg, Edberg and Wilander grew up.”