Confident Serena jets in
Confident Serena jets in 
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007
AMERICAN Serena Williams finally arrived in Australia early Sunday, tired and several days late, but confident she was on track to defend her Australian Open title.
The world No7 landed in Perth having taken a circuitous route from her US base in Miami, coming via New York and Dubai.
Williams cited a stomach flu as the reason for her late arrival, with Meghann Shaughnessy successfully substituting as Mardy Fish’s partner in the US’s opening tie victory over India on Saturday.
Having caught a few hours’ sleep after flying in at 3am, Williams yawned her way through a practice session, but hit the ball crisply and looked in good shape.
The 26-year-old said she believed the guaranteed match practice of Hopman Cup was the ideal preparation for the first Grand Slam of the new year.
Williams warmed up for the 2007 Australian Open by playing in Hobart, where she was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
She then went to Melbourne ranked 86th in the world and stunned the sport by fighting her way through to the final, where she thrashed Maria Sharapova 6-1 6-2 to claim her eighth Grand Slam title.
The Australian Open starts on January 14 and Williams said she wanted a break between her warm-up tournament and the Grand Slam. She used the same preparation in 2003, when she won both the Hopman Cup and Australian Open.
“Last year was cutting it close, I never like to play the week before a Grand Slam,” she said. “Especially as defending champion, I really wanted to make sure I was here trying to get ready.”
Despite the illness and also missing the season-ending tournament in Madrid in November with a knee problem, Williams said she was satisfied with her preparation for the Australian Open. She said she barely rested at the end of the season.
“I had a whole week (off), so that was not long at all,” she said.
“I am definitely feeling fully prepared. It has been really good, I have been trying to train a little bit and have some fun.”
Agencies
