Serena Williams is back!
The 36-year-old tennis champion returned to the court over the weekend, marking her first public tennis appearance since welcoming her 3-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, and marrying Alexis Ohanian.
She and sister Venus Williams took part in a few rounds of their favorite sport as they hosted “A Family Affair, Presented by Oath” at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in Washington, D.C. to raise money for their Compton-based Yetunde Price Resource Center.
The sisters launched the center in 2016 and named it after their eldest sister, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. The charity event included a panel moderated by ESPN’s Jemele Hill in which they discussed the impact of violence on their family.
Serena Williams is the chairwoman of Oath’s newly launched board of advisors. The event was also presented in conjunction with MAKERS, a storytelling platform for trailblazing women of today and tomorrow.
“Violence has hit very close to home in our family and families of loved ones and it’s not easy, but through it we become stronger and also through it we’re able to help other people,” Venus, 37, said.
“It’s been a wonderful experience to be a part of the Yetunde Price Resource Center … Just by doing something positive with your life…you motivate others and then those others actually motivate you to do better. It becomes this circle of positivity,” Venus also said, according to the Women’s Tennis Association, which first reported news that Serena was back on the court publicly for the first time since giving birth.
Williams’ husband did not participate in the panel, but was at the event to support his wife.
“For a great cause,” he captioned a photo of 36-year-old Williams on the court with a tennis racket. “Great community.”
The event comes just weeks after Williams and Ohanian wed in a star-studded ceremony in New Orleans last month. The lovebirds, who began dating in 2015, announced their engagement in December 2016.
The pair said “I do” two months after welcoming little Alexis Olympia on Sept. 1. They announced her arrival on Instagram and published a sweet photo of their journey as a family. Since then, Williams has shown she’s already a doting mother, sharing sweet social media photos and videos of the baby girl.
Still, Williams has been itching to get back on the court.
In October, it was announced that Williams will make her competitive comeback to tennis next January to defend her title at the Australian Open, the same tournament in which she beat sister Venus in the final while pregnant.
During an October news conference, tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed Williams “is planning” on playing the Jan. 15-28 competition.
”Serena will be back,” Tiley said, according to Sports Illustrated. ”We look forward to welcoming her and again go on that journey of breaking the all-time record for the most number of Grand Slams.
This article originally appeared on People.
