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MELBOURNE: A fit and relaxed Serena Williams vowed
Saturday to topple Justine Henin as world number one, insisting she
is feeling no pressure as she prepares to defend her Australian Open
title.
The formidable American is
looking to clinch her ninth Grand Slam and warned she is in better
shape than ever.
“My preparation’s been really
good. I’ve been just training every day and just getting out there
on the court every day. So it’s been really good and really
positive. I like my preparation this year,” she said.
“I don’t feel any pressure at
all. I feel just, you know, excited to be here. I don’t feel like,
‘Oh, my God, I have to win, win, win’. I just feel like I’m
having so much fun every day.”
Williams stunned the tennis world
here last year when she beat Maria Sharapova in the final after
entering the tournament unseeded and ranked 81 in the world after an
injury-plagued 2006.
The memories of that remarkable
run are still fresh in her memory.
“You know, last year I was
completely under the radar. I had, I mean, absolutely no
expectations from anyone, and that really made me want to kind of
prove everyone wrong,” she said.
“This year, it’s completely
opposite where I more or less have a lot of expectations, but I’m
still in here and I’m still here for me more than anything. Just
like that.”
Williams highlighted Henin, who
won the Sydney International on Friday, and her sister Venus as her
main threats.
Nevertheless, beating Henin will
go some way towards helping her achieve her ultimate goal of the
season—to once again be world number one. The 26-year-old is
currently ranked seven.
“Yeah, that’s my goal mainly.
I figure if I play well in a solid amount of tournaments, you know,
I’ll be able to take that ranking,” she said.
She opens her title defense
against Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, and has no fears of the
oppressive heat that always plays a factor at Melbourne Park.
--AFP
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