The former world No 1, whose grunts are as famous as her thunderous groundstrokes, will return to the Kingdom for the second time since her last appearance in 2005 when she played an exhibition match with Maria Sharapova in Chiang Mai.

Chaiyapak Siriwat, chairman of the organising committee of the Bangkok Open, said Williams has already signed a deal. "She will come five days before the tournament to have a spa treatment at the Chiva-Som International Heath Resort where her sister Serena also went two years ago and really loved it,'' said Chaiyapak, who is also the vice-president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand.

Chaiyapak said the organisers, with support from PTT - the main sponsor of the tournament - have set aside a budget of Bt12 million for superstar appearance fees. Williams alone is said to receive more than US$100,000 (Bt3.5 million) for her participation in the WTA tier III event.

Organisers are planning to bring in more eye-catching players such as 2005 champion Nicole Vaidisova, glamour girl Daniela Hantuchova and Martina Hingis to light up the capital.

"We are going to discuss with some agencies in the next few days to find out who we can get for the competition,'' Chaiyapak said.

Williams, who has been plagued with injuries, has dropped to 39 in world rankings this week. She lifted 34 singles trophies, including three Wimbledon and two US Open titles. She became world No 1 in February 2002 before her interest in interior designing, and a series of injuries, prevented her from performing at her best level.

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

The Nation