Serena Williams to make comeback in Fed Cup tie

Former world No.1 Serena Williams will return to competitive tennis next month in the United States' Fed Cup first round tie against the Netherlands, the United States Tennis Association says.

Williams has not played a WTA tournament since she won the Australian Open title last year and skipped this year's opening grand slam over concerns about her fitness four months after giving birth to her first child.

She has played once since picking up her Open-era record 23rd grand slam in Melbourne last year, losing to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi in December.

The 36-year-old American will be joined by older sister Venus and world number nine CoCo Vandeweghe with a fourth player to be announced next week for the February 10-11 tie on an indoor hard court in Asheville, North Carolina.

The US beat Belarus last year for an 18th Fed Cup title, their first in 17 years.