Take it or leave it: Serena Williams hits a shot during her 6-2, 6-3 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers at the Brisbane International on Monday. AP PHOTOThe 30-year-old Williams had her service broken in the opening game Monday before settling in and beating Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-2, 6-3 at the Brisbane International. She needed just 68 minutes to advance, firing seven aces and taking advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers.She was asked after the match whether her four-month layoff indicated she may have fallen out of love with tennis."It's not that I've fallen out of love . . . I've never really liked sports, I never understood how I became an athlete," Williams said.She added, laughing, that she's never liked working out and "I don't want anything that has to do with working physically."If it involves sitting down or shopping I am excellent at that. I don't love tennis today . . . but I can't live without it so I am still here."Williams has said previously that she plans to cut down on her schedule in 2012."I just want to be able to do other things I am doing and expand on that," she said Monday. "I think that will help keep my motivation up. I have always been preparing myself for life after tennis."Not that the 13-time Grand Slam winner is planning on retiring any time soon. She'll play young Serbian Bojana Jovanovski in the second round in her only warmup tournament before the Jan. 16 start of the Australian Open, a major she has won five times.In other matches Monday, top-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia, who beat Williams for the U.S. Open title, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus and sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 6-2.Former No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-3, 6-3 and American qualifier Vania King defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.Ivanovic will play Australian Open defending champion Kim Clijsters in the second round.The last time the two met, former French Open champion Ivanovic blew five match points at Miami last March. Ivanovic had three break points when leading 5-1 in the deciding set before Clijsters came back to win 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and improve her career record with Ivanovic to 4-0.LONDON — Andy Murray has hired eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl as his coach.The fourth-ranked Briton will begin working immediately with Lendl as he prepares for the Australian Open next month.Murray says in a statement he hopes Lendl will provide "fresh insight," adding that "Ivan's impact on the game is unquestionable."
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Serena makes return, dreading new season
BRISBANE, Australia — After winning the first match she's played since her U.S. Open final defeat last September, Serena Williams admitted she's dreading another season of grueling workouts but still can't live without tennis.Take it or leave it: Serena Williams hits a shot during her 6-2, 6-3 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers at the Brisbane International on Monday. AP PHOTOThe 30-year-old Williams had her service broken in the opening game Monday before settling in and beating Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-2, 6-3 at the Brisbane International. She needed just 68 minutes to advance, firing seven aces and taking advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers.She was asked after the match whether her four-month layoff indicated she may have fallen out of love with tennis."It's not that I've fallen out of love . . . I've never really liked sports, I never understood how I became an athlete," Williams said.She added, laughing, that she's never liked working out and "I don't want anything that has to do with working physically."If it involves sitting down or shopping I am excellent at that. I don't love tennis today . . . but I can't live without it so I am still here."Williams has said previously that she plans to cut down on her schedule in 2012."I just want to be able to do other things I am doing and expand on that," she said Monday. "I think that will help keep my motivation up. I have always been preparing myself for life after tennis."Not that the 13-time Grand Slam winner is planning on retiring any time soon. She'll play young Serbian Bojana Jovanovski in the second round in her only warmup tournament before the Jan. 16 start of the Australian Open, a major she has won five times.In other matches Monday, top-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia, who beat Williams for the U.S. Open title, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus and sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 6-2.Former No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-3, 6-3 and American qualifier Vania King defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.Ivanovic will play Australian Open defending champion Kim Clijsters in the second round.The last time the two met, former French Open champion Ivanovic blew five match points at Miami last March. Ivanovic had three break points when leading 5-1 in the deciding set before Clijsters came back to win 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and improve her career record with Ivanovic to 4-0.LONDON — Andy Murray has hired eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl as his coach.The fourth-ranked Briton will begin working immediately with Lendl as he prepares for the Australian Open next month.Murray says in a statement he hopes Lendl will provide "fresh insight," adding that "Ivan's impact on the game is unquestionable."
Take it or leave it: Serena Williams hits a shot during her 6-2, 6-3 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers at the Brisbane International on Monday. AP PHOTOThe 30-year-old Williams had her service broken in the opening game Monday before settling in and beating Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-2, 6-3 at the Brisbane International. She needed just 68 minutes to advance, firing seven aces and taking advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers.She was asked after the match whether her four-month layoff indicated she may have fallen out of love with tennis."It's not that I've fallen out of love . . . I've never really liked sports, I never understood how I became an athlete," Williams said.She added, laughing, that she's never liked working out and "I don't want anything that has to do with working physically."If it involves sitting down or shopping I am excellent at that. I don't love tennis today . . . but I can't live without it so I am still here."Williams has said previously that she plans to cut down on her schedule in 2012."I just want to be able to do other things I am doing and expand on that," she said Monday. "I think that will help keep my motivation up. I have always been preparing myself for life after tennis."Not that the 13-time Grand Slam winner is planning on retiring any time soon. She'll play young Serbian Bojana Jovanovski in the second round in her only warmup tournament before the Jan. 16 start of the Australian Open, a major she has won five times.In other matches Monday, top-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia, who beat Williams for the U.S. Open title, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus and sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 6-2.Former No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-3, 6-3 and American qualifier Vania King defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.Ivanovic will play Australian Open defending champion Kim Clijsters in the second round.The last time the two met, former French Open champion Ivanovic blew five match points at Miami last March. Ivanovic had three break points when leading 5-1 in the deciding set before Clijsters came back to win 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and improve her career record with Ivanovic to 4-0.LONDON — Andy Murray has hired eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl as his coach.The fourth-ranked Briton will begin working immediately with Lendl as he prepares for the Australian Open next month.Murray says in a statement he hopes Lendl will provide "fresh insight," adding that "Ivan's impact on the game is unquestionable."
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