Serena’s monkey finally off back

CONCEDING the monkey was finally off her back, tennis super-mum Serena Williams raced into the Australian Open second round like she was paying babysitting fees.

Seeking an eighth crown at Melbourne Park, but first since 2017, Williams powered past Czech teenager Anastasia Potapova 6-0 6-3 in just 58 minutes yesterday.

“It was good. I felt like I started out really well. Played really strong in the first set, and just kept building on that,” the American said.

“I feel like I can still improve and get better throughout this tournament. This is a good stepping stone.”

Williams had endured a three-year title drought before winning in Auckland 10 days ago in front of daughter Olympia to underline her intentions to finally match Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 singles majors.

“It was amazing,” Williams said. “I hadn’t been able to win as a mum, it was nice to be able to win a tournament with a two-year-old. It was really special for me – and hopefully for her.”

In reality, her Auckland breakthrough was far more significant for the 38-year- old Williams than it was for her toddler daughter.

She had been chasing her long-craved first-ever title as a mother since beating sister Venus while pregnant in the 2017 final at Melbourne Park.

“To say, monkey off my back, kind of, it was very important for me to get a win in the final. It felt like a relief. Yeah, like I could move forward now,” Williams said.

Desperate to match Court’s record grand slam singles haul, Williams has lost four major finals in the past 18 months without even grabbing a set.

She admitted to trying to be more relaxed in her pursuit of the record.

“It’s factored a lot into my game, and now it’s just more or less about doing the best that Serena Williams can do,” she said.

“Margaret Court was a wonderful, great champion. And now how great is Serena Williams? That’s it.

“That’s kind of what I have been thinking about the last couple of weeks and months.

“It definitely helps me relax a lot.”

Playing the Open for the 19th time, Williams next plays Slovenian Tamara Zidansek.