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MELBOURNE, Australia — The last time Serena Williams came here for the Australian Open, in 2017, the talk swirling around her focused on tennis. Could she capture her 23rd major title and break past Steffi Graf on the list of Grand Slam title winners since the sport went professional?
She did indeed emerge victorious, beating her sister Venus in the final and doing so, she would later reveal to the world, while in the early stages of pregnancy.
On Tuesday, Williams returns to the sunbaked Melbourne courts, with her 16-month-old daughter in tow, bidding for another place in the record books.