BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Serena Williams will make her first appearance later this month at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Connecticut. Williams hasn't played since injuring her thumb in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

    Ranked No. 8 in the world, Williams struggled with injuries in 2006 before entering the Australian Open as an unseeded player and walking away with the win.

    She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, climbing back into the top 10 of the WTA Tour world rankings.

    "I am ready to get back onto the courts and hope to return to the form I had earlier this year," she said. "My sister always loved New Haven and was incredibly successful there, and I hope to have the same kind of results."

    Williams joins fourth-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova; No. 10 Daniela Hantuchova; No. 11 and Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli; No. 13 Elena Dementieva; and three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport as women’s players committed to the tournament.

    Ninth-ranked James Blake, a Connecticut native, will be headlining the men's side along with defending champion and fifth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko; No. 7 Tommy Robredo; and No. 14 Andy Murray.

    The tournament runs Aug. 17-25 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale.

    (Agencies)