E-Paper
Serena plans to 'Bend it like Beckham'
Serena Williams has big plans for Wimbledon. "I'm going to bend it like Beckham," she laughs.
Serena Williams has big plans for Wimbledon. "I'm going to bend it like Beckham," she laughs.
Williams says she is fully fit and raring to go as she prepares to defend the only grand slam title left in her possession.
She also claims to be drawing inspiration from England's soccer captain.
"I love David Beckham," she said at the All England Club on Sunday. "I am really excited about the England team at Euro 2004.
"I'm going to be watching the matches... and I've been following Beckham since the World Cup in '98."
The Williams family have not been without a grand slam title since 1998, putting added pressure on Serena.
"I have to work really hard here," she said. "People are here trying to thieve my title from me.
"I think anyone is a big threat to my title. If I get over-confident I could end up going home early and that is not something I want to do."
BAD KARMA
Both Serena and elder sister Venus lost in the quarter-finals of the French Open last month and Serena is determined not to repeat that disappointment.
"Oh my God... my suicide in Paris," she groaned. "I was so disappointed. But no matter what I do or how hard I try I am not going to be able to rewind time.
"I have just got to get over it, you know? I didn't want to bring the bad karma to Wimbledon.
"You can't live in the past. You have to live in the present and in the future. If I lived in the past I would still be in the '80s."
Dismissing suggestions she has become distracted from tennis and is diverting time and energy away from the court and into her nascent acting career, the top seed said: "I am more serious about tennis than ever.
"Before when I was winning... when I was able to play all the time it was like 'whatever'," she grinned. "Now it is different. I really want to win... I just hate to lose.
"Physically I am close to 100 percent. But you know, everybody expects me to win 100 percent of the time...I expect myself to win 200 percent of the time but no matter how good you are, you are not going to win every match you play."
Serena has not even looked at who she will meet in the first round. "I don't know," she smiled. "All I can do is get myself ready, get my game going and then whoever I play that's okay."
