Share

Time on my side - Serena

Paris - Serena Williams says that at 33 she believes that time is still on her side for her to set a new all-time record of Grand Slam singles title wins.

The American bagged her 19th title at the Australian Open in January.

That left her just three shy of the Open-era record of 22 set by Germany's Steffi Graf and five short of the all-time record of Australian Margaret Court.

With Wimbledon and the US Open to follow it could be that the French Open, played on clay, her least favourite surface, could be the main obstacle in the way of her becoming just the fourth women to complete the calendar Grand Slam.

But Williams said she had no intention of getting too far ahead of herself.

"That's what's so good about tennis," she said. "Unlike basketball and the football, you have four times a year to get to the Grand Slams to try and win one. You have four chances," she said.

"That gives us a little bit more opportunity to try to get there, even though the competition every year is harder and harder and harder.

"But, yeah, with that, I feel like there is still plenty of time. Honestly, if I get to 20, that would be great. If I get past that, that would be great. I think 19 is pretty awesome, too.

"You know, I never thought I would be at 19. I never thought I would make it this far. Every day I feel like I'm living a dream. I don't want to wake up from it because it's been really good."

Apart from the likes of Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova, Williams also has in Paris to deal with an elbow injury that caused her to pull out of the Rome tournament earlier this month.

That followed a busier than usual start to the year that saw her go on a 27-match unbeaten run before losing to Kvitova in the Madrid semi-finals.

The injury was still causing her some pain, she said.

"Yeah, elbow it's the same. I was worried about it, but lately I have been really getting some really good treatment that has been able to alleviate it and make the symptoms go down substantially," she said.

"So I feel a lot better going forward in the tournament and just getting through it.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE