Top-ranked Serena Williams has asked for an received a wild card for next month's Italian Open, signaling that she's ready to return from a knee injury.
Having been sidelined since her Australian Open title in January, Williams originally did not enter the tournament in Rome, which begins May 3 and is a key clay-court warmup for the French Open. Williams won the Italian Open in 2002 en route to her only title at Roland Garros.
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Tournament organizers announced the wild card for Williams on Tuesday, adding that nine of the top 10 women have entered, with No. 10 Kim Clijsters the only exception.
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