Serena Williams aims for ‘outrageous’ Australian Open comeback

Serena Williams, feeling “new power” from her pregnancy, is already preparing for an Australian Open title defence in January.

In a wide-ranging interview with Vogue touching on motherhood, body image and race, Williams said she had set herself a goal of playing Melbourne.

“It’s the most outrageous plan,” the 36-year-old Williams, who is expecting her first child next month. “I just want to put that out there. That’s, like, three months after I give birth. I’m not walking anything back, but I’m just saying it’s pretty intense.”

Williams said during her pregnancy layoff she had kept a close eye on the tennis world, including her sister Venus’s run to the Wimbledon final. And she has her eye on matching Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. She was already pregnant when she won her 23rd at the Australian Open last January.

“Obviously, if I have a chance to go out there and catch up with Margaret, I am not going to pass that up,” Williams said. “If anything, this pregnancy has given me a new power.”

Williams says she’s had a “love-hate relationship with the idea of power” as it relates to her game, sometimes irked that her skill and strategy seemed to …read more