It looks like being No. 2 didn't sit too well with Serena Williams.
Hours after Caroline Wozniacki assured herself the top spot in next week's WTA rankings, Serena confirmed that she'd return to action next week in Linz, Austria. Serena hasn't played since winning Wimbledon because of a foot injury.
Of all the stages Serena could have returned on—say, last week's Premier event in Tokyo, or this week's in Beijing—Linz is a peculiar choice. She's played there just once before, in 2004 (she lost her opening match), and this year's entry list isn't particularly strong. But with the WTA Championships just two weeks away, Serena, the defending Doha champion, didn't have many options. The weaker field may have been a consideration: Serena should have a better chance of playing multiple matches and working herself into form.
Besides the Linz tournament director, another person who should be thrilled about this news is U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez. Between Linz and the guaranteed round-robin matches at the WTA Championships, Serena should enter the Fed Cup final battle-tested. With Venus Williams done for the year, it would be shocking if Serena wasn't chosen for the team—Fernandez can bring along many of the players she's relied on this year, plus just one ringer.
—Ed McGrogan