Serena Williams: I wouldn't encourage my children to play tennis

Serena Williams has revealed that if she were to have children, she would not encourage them to take up tennis. 

The American, who turned 35 on Monday, has won as many grand slams as any woman in the Open Era but would be wary of any child of hers taking the same path. 

Speaking to Sky Sports News at the opening of her coach Patrick Mouratoglou's new academy in Nice, Williams said: “I wouldn’t put them [my own children] in tennis. I wouldn’t stop them if they wanted to play tennis, but I wouldn’t encourage tennis.

Serena and Venus Williams have dominated tennis over the last 20 years

“I wouldn’t want the stigma of mummy Serena, I think that would be a lot of pressure and I would like for them to do their own thing and have their own name and be the best at whatever they wanted to do.” 

The world No 2 also discussed the fitness problems that have dogged her this summer, during which she exited the Olympics in the third round and was knocked out of the US Open in the semi-final by Karolina Pliskova.  

Williams has not played since the US Open 

“I have been dealing with a lot of health issues since Wimbledon, that has been really frustrating, I told Venus that it ‘ruined my Olympics’!”, Williams said. 

There has been speculation that Williams' knee problems could prevent her from overtaking Steffi Graf and winning a 23rd grand slam singles title, but her coach Mouratoglou was bullish about her chances. The Frenchman said: “Of course she can win another slam. Winning one more is more than probable”.  

For the moment though Williams is taking some time away from the sport, and it's possible she won't play again in 2016. Last year the American did not play after her heartbreaking US Open semi-final defeat to Roberta Vinci until the Australian Open four months later, where she was beaten in the final by Angelique Kerber. 

Kerber, who has taken the No 1 ranking away from Williams after an unbroken spell of 186 weeks, has emerged as a genuine rival for the 35-year-old, and looks to be the main obstacle to her breaking Graf's record, which has stood since 1999.     

To watch the full interview tune into Sportswomen at 11:30am today on Sky Sports News HQ. Sportswomen is the UK’s only dedicated weekly women’s sports show. 

First-round opponent a tall order for Serena Williams

NEW YORK -- If Serena Williams thought the pressure that surrounded her like a thick, toxic fog while she sought to complete a historic calendar-year Grand Slam last year at Flushing Meadows has dissipated for good, she might be in for a surprise when she launches her campaign at this year's US Open on Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The first hurdle in Williams' path is a tall one: 29-year-old left-hander Ekaterina Makarova. Once again, there is enough at stake to give even the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion palpitations. The way she meets this first challenge might speak volumes about what the coming days have in store.

"I think it's OK," Williams said of the matchup when the draw was made Friday. "I'm OK with it. I think I try to look at it [as] we all always have tough matches. I've just got to do the best I can."

Only two left-handed players have ever beaten Serena Williams at a Grand Slam event: Angelique Kerber, who is 1-1 against Williams in Grand Slam finals this year, and Makarova. Williams' first-round opponent pulled off her victory in the fourth round of the 2012 Australian Open.

Makarova, a 5-foot-11 Russian with a two-handed backhand and a tricky lefty serve, is the most accomplished and highest ranked among Williams' recent first-round Grand Slam opponents. She has often played better at major events than her ranking suggests. Her confidence ought to be sky high, as she excelled at the Rio Olympics, winning a gold medal in doubles with Elena Vesnina and making it to the third round in singles.

Williams can draw inspiration from the fact that she has punished Makarova severely since that loss. The Russian hasn't won a set in three matches, and two of those six sets were 6-0 blowouts. In their most recent meeting, Williams cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 demolition of Makarova in the 2014 semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

Since then, however, Makarova has hit her physical peak and logged a career-high ranking of No. 8 (April 2015). She's currently ranked No. 29, which puts her higher than the lowest seed in the tournament (who is separated by at least one spot from any other seed) but unseeded because of the rules and deadlines governing entry.

Williams has struggled with injury and has experienced puzzling lapses of confidence and motivation alternating with brilliant fits. At Wimbledon, after she finally tied Steffi Graf's Open-era record with a 22nd major, Williams conceded that the pressure had been ruinous. "The one thing I learned about last year is to enjoy the moment," she said.

It might be difficult for Williams to do that, no matter how much love the Ashe crowd showers on her. History beckons with its aged finger: A US Open win would make Williams the top Open-era champion, with 23 major singles titles. It would also keep alive her chance to catch or even surpass all-time leader Margaret Court (24 titles).

Williams is almost 35 and increasingly injury-prone. At her age, the months between majors seem like years. Each opportunity becomes increasingly precious at this point in her career.

Some of the more immediate honors and obligations at stake might also play on Williams' mind, motivating or spooking her. Although she's guaranteed to tie Steffi Graf for most consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 (186), Angelique Kerber is beautifully positioned to take the top spot away if Williams takes her foot off the gas even a little.

What's more, a first-round loss by the top seed would mean nothing less than humiliation. Williams was the No. 5 seed when she suffered the only first-round loss of her Grand Slam career. It was at the hands of wild card Virginie Razzano at the 2012 French Open.

How could Williams not feel pressure? Conversely, what would it say about her as a competitor if she didn't?

"I think each [situation] is different," Williams said Friday, when asked to compare this year to 2015. "At this point, I'm taking it a day at a time. I think I just am more relaxed, for sure."

There are some similarities between the situations today and when Makarova upset Williams in Australia. Williams went into that tournament having played just two competitive matches after her loss to Sam Stosur in the final of the 2011 US Open. She twisted her ankle in the second of those matches in Brisbane and was still hobbled as she fought her way through to meet Makarova in Melbourne Park.

Williams is probably in better shape now than she was then. She won Wimbledon less than two months ago. But she was just 2-1 in singles in Rio, where she developed a bad right shoulder. The injury curtailed her practice time and forced her to withdraw from the important US Open tune-up at Cincinnati.

Williams' three previous wins over Makarova will give her some authority going into the match. But she knows what she's up against.

"She's a big fighter," Williams said of Makarova. "She never really stops. She gets a lot of balls back. You think she's not super quick, but she is."

Williams needs to be ready for this one. She's a hard read, but it seems like she might be. After a while, even that toxic fog of pressure might not smell so bad.

Peter Bodo has been covering tennis for over 35 years, mostly recently for ESPN. He is a former WTA Writer of the Year and the author of numerous books, including the classic "The Courts of Babylon" and the New York Times bestseller (with Pete Sampras), "A Champion's Mind."

WTA TRIO CRACK SPORTSPRO LIST

The WTA was well represented on the 2016 edition of SportsPro magazine's list of the world's 50 most marketable athletes.

Last month, SportsPro unveiled it annual list of the world's 50 most marketable athletes. Once again, the WTA was well represented with three players making the cut.

French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza led the way, entering the list at No.14 on the back of her recent exploits. Joining her is fellow new entrant Sania Mirza and last year's No.1 Eugenie Bouchard.

Muguruza first burst onto the scene two years ago when she inflicted a humbling second-round defeat on defending champion Serena Williams at Roland Garros. Since then her star has grown, a Wimbledon final appearance laying the foundations for a brilliant second half of 2015. The 22-year-old hit her first bump in the road at the start of the current season, before a spectacular return culminating in her Paris triumph.

Viewed by many as the sports next big crossover star, Muguruza has seen sponsors come flocking - BBVA Bank, Maui Jim, adidas and Babolat are among her current portfolio - capitalizing on the decade-long quest to find a female icon to join Rafael Nadal atop the pedestal of Spanish tennis.

Life has not been quite so rosy for the new generation's other great young hope, Eugenie Bouchard. However, following a turbulent 2015 campaign, the green shoots of recovery have begun to sprout.

Success on the court and charisma off it fuelled the Canadian's initial rise to prominence, and now unburdened by the weight of expectation that hung around her neck for much of 2015, she has begun to climb back up the rankings. The qualities that first attracted Nike, Babolat, Coca-Cola and others remain, and her reunion with childhood mentor Nick Saviano is sure to hasten her return to tennis' top table.

Mirza, on the other hand, has had no shortage of success over the past 12 months, her all-conquering partnership with Martina Hingis - the duo have won three of the past four Grand Slams - thrusting her back into the spotlight.

A superstar in her homeland for the best part of a decade, the Indian, whose contracts include adidas, Sahara India and Tata Tea, is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and was flagbearer at the 2012 Olympics.

Since SportsPro released its inaugural list in 2010, WTA players have been near ever-presents at the top of the pile, Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens all featuring down the years.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova will stun Serena Williams, snap 16-match losing streak at Wimbledon

Maria Sharapova was so close. Victoria Azarenka looked to have Serena Williams on the ropes in their Tuesday quarterfinal, a position the world No. 1 has steadily found herself in during her 26-match Grand Slam winning streak. With an Azarenka win, Sharapova would be facing a woman she’d defeated four-straight times in Thursday’s semifinal, a woman who would give her an easily defined path to just her second Wimbledon final in 11 years.

Instead, Serena Williams did what Serena Williams does. She buckled down, let out of a few screams and made that first-set deficit a distant memory by the end, rolling over Azarenka like she’s rolled over so many before, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

(AP)

And now, it’s Serena vs. Sharapova for the right to go to the Wimbledon final. But what should be a tennis delight featuring the two best players in the game over the past decade is instead a rivalry — if you can even call it that — on par with the Globetrotters and Generals. Over the past decade, when they have consistently been two of the best tennis players in the world, Serena Williams is 16-0 against Maria Sharapova. Sixteen and zero. How bad is it for Sharapova, beyond that 0-16 record?

1. Of the 16 matches, 13 have been decided in straight sets.

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2. Just three of the 35 sets they’ve played have gone to a tiebreak. (Serena has won all three.)

3. Serena has won a total of 32 sets during the streak. Ten of those were by a score of  6-0 or 6-1, including the famous 6-0, 6-1 beatdown in the 2012 Olympic final at Wimbledon.

4. The last time the women went to three sets (Miami, 2013), Serena won the decider 6-0.

(AP)

5. And it’s not as if this rivalry is based on old matches that hold little meaning today: Ten of the 16 matches have taken place since 2012.

But if you’re going to talk about all those pro-Serena stats, you have to mention the one pro-Maria stat: When they played their second match, all the way back in 2004 when Sharapova was a lanky 17-year-old Russian and Serena ruled the game, Sharapova pulled what was, at the time, one of the biggest upsets of a generation. It came in the Wimbledon final, created a tennis superstar in Sharapova and sent Williams into a relative tailspin (she had six majors at the time, then would win just three in the next half-decade).

(AP)

They’ve only played in Wimbledon once since then, six years later when Serena won one of the harder fought battles of their rivalry, taking their fourth-round match 7-6 (9), 6-4. And, to her credit, Sharapova has played Williams (relatively) tougher of late. Their meeting in the Australian Open final was 6-3, 7-6 (5). An early-2014 final in Brisbane was 6-2, 7-6 (7). The 2013 French Open final was 6-4, 6-4.

Put aside the stats for a second. Sharapova is going to win one day. She just has to. Unless one of them retires this year, the odds say that she’ll get the best of Serena at some point in her career. All streaks end. And there will be no better time then Thursday. Serena looks completely dialed in at the moment, dispatching her sister with ease, then calmly coming back against an opponent in Azarenka who easily could have won that match in straight sets. Serena Williams currently looks like a freight train barreling through London en route to New York.

(AP)

Still, the historical weight of the Grand Slam looms for Serena. She has to be calmer after getting through that tough Venus/Vika double, but now that the Wimbledon title is just four sets away, we could start to see some of the tight playing we saw earlier in the tournament and during the French Open final. For the first time since Serena’s winning streak over Maria became “a thing” (say around match No. 8), the pressure will be more on Serena’s side of the court than Sharapova’s. The Russian is expected to lose. Seventeen doesn’t sound that much worse than 16. She can be freer and easier, knowing that Serena is two wins away from a second Serena Slam and nine wins away from a historic Grand Slam. Sharapova, on the other hand, is just playing with house money.

This is Serena Williams’ match to lose. But maybe, just maybe, it’s Maria Sharapova’s to win. The streak will end some time. Why not Thursday?

PREDICTION: MARIA SHARAPOVA D. SERENA WILLIAMS, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

(Getty Images)