Manila, December 7

Serena Williams said today she was ready to rejoin the women’s tennis tour after a bout with pain that caused the world No 1 to cut short her 2015 season.

The 34-year-old American was largely rusty as she lost in mixed doubles before beating Ana Ivanovic while playing at the International Premier Tennis League tournament in Manila.

She last played in a competitive match in a shock semi-final loss to Italian Roberta Vinci at the US Open in September, missing out on a calendar-year sweep of the Grand Slams.

“I never lacked motivation. I just was really injured,” she told reporters in the Philippine capital on Sunday without discussing the nature of the injury.

Williams has said she played injured most of the year as she racked up her Grand Slam win count to 21 by taking Wimbledon as well as the Australian and the French Open crowns.

After her loss to Vinci she pulled out of the China Open and the year-ending WTA Finals, saying she needed “time to heal”.