Serena: My competitive side is stronger than ever

SERENA WILLIAMS has warned her rivals that her competitive desire is stronger than ever as she eyes an eighth Wimbledon singles title, writes Matt Majendie.

The former world No1 is bidding to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams at the end of the fortnight, nine months after ter giving birth.

There has been conjecture about the potential form of t h e No 2 5 s e e d a f t e r s h e pulled out injured from the French Open, but Williams s (right) said: “I don’t think I ever ver actually lost that competitivee sideside. In fact, I feel like it’s stronger, because I’ve been through so much. I put so much on the back-burner.”

Her pregnancy meant the 36-year-old missed last year’s Championships and means she has not lost here since 2014, when she was surprisingly knocked out by France’s Alize Cornet.

The American admitted, however, that her desire to get back to the top of the game had not been entirely expected. “It definitely surprises me a little because I thought it would be differendifferent,” she said. “I thought, ‘Hey, I havhave this amazing child, I have alall these Grand Slams, this is aall super bonus’, and it is.”

Despite her time out, WWilliams, along with Petra KKvitova, is the pre-tournamment favourite and ahead of her opener against Aranxta Rus — the tthird match on No1 Court today — she said: “I fe e l a lot less pressure out there, but I am a little bit shocked at how much I almost want that pressure. I almost want to feel the need to go out there and be the best that I can be.”