14 January,2016 08:31 AM IST | | AFP
Serena Williams insists she is fit and ready for a tilt at a seventh Australian Open title, downplaying a knee injury that forced her out of the Hopman Cup
Serena Williams insists she is fit and ready for a tilt at a seventh Australian Open title, downplaying a knee injury that forced her out of the Hopman Cup
Melbourne: Serena Williams insists she is fit and ready for a tilt at a seventh Australian Open title, downplaying a knee injury that forced her out of the Hopman Cup.
USA's Serena Williams during a practice session in Melbourne on Tuesday. Pic/Getty Images
The World No 1 retired due to soreness in her left knee during a singles match on January 6 at the mixed-team tournament in Perth, casting doubt over her ability to defend her title at the opening Grand Slam of the season.
But the 34-year-old told the Melbourne Herald Sun she was "ready for it".
"My body is feeling great now," she said.
"Obviously I had a hiccup but right now it is doing much better. I've had a few days of training so it's looking good."
The 34-year-old, who battled knee problems in the latter half of 2015 and has barely played since October, trained at Melbourne Park on Monday. "I know what I need to do on and off the court to win big tournaments," she added to the newspaper.