Serena Williams ready for US Open Challenge

Serena Williams said on Saturday she is pressing ahead with plans to play in the US Open despite a wave of player withdrawals from the upcoming Grand Slam event over coronavirus fears.

The 23-time Slam winner returns to tennis next week at the inaugural Top Seed Open WTA event in Lexington, Kentucky, relaunching her season after a six-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I see myself doing it all if it happens,” Williams said when asked about her schedule during a virtual press conference on Saturday.

“But I am not planning for the future, as tournaments got cancelled I was just like, ‘Let me just work on today and see what happens.’” she said..

Speaking on how she spent the lockdown she said –

“I started social distancing in early March,” she said.

“I don’t have full lung capacity so I’m not sure what would happen to me.

Williams, who is also scheduled to play the Western and Southern Open tune-up event in New York before the US Open, admitted that only tournament play would allow her to properly gauge her fitness.

“Everyone has an opportunity to be more fit now, because we spent so much time at home to work on ourselves,” Williams said.

“Fitness wise, there is going to be a tonne of fitness, but match fitness is different to fit-fitness.”