Serena Williams Returns to Tennis With Exhibition Loss 4 Months After Giving Birth

Serena Williams is back on the court after taking most of the year off following the birth of her first child, but her comeback was marred by a loss.

On Saturday, four months after she and husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia, Serena played an exhibition match against defending French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. She dropped the first set 6-2, rebounded to win the second set 6-3 and then fell behind 5-0 while losing the match tiebreaker 10-5, according to ESPN.

"I'm excited. It's good to be back on the court," Williams said after the match, the outlet reported. "This was such a good time for me...First matches back are always super-incredibly hard, especially after having a baby. It was great. I was glad I could do it here."

This marked Serena's first competitive game since she won her record 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open in January—when she was nine weeks pregnant.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley told reporters earlier this month that Williams was "very likely" to return to play at the annual event, which begins on January 15, to defend her Grand Slam title.

Serena's husband joined her and cheered her on in Abu Dhabi.

"Mama is back in the office," he wrote on Instagram on Saturday.