NEW YORK — Serena Williams says she's ready to win tournaments even if she hasn't played in many recently.
"There's nothing that can stop me right now besides me," she said Thursday.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has played in just one tournament since mid-September. She sat out the rest of the fall season to rest various injuries after her stunning loss in the U.S. Open semifinals. And she recently pulled out of two events, citing illness.
But the top-ranked Williams looked plenty sharp for most of that one tournament, the Australian Open. She was dominant in her run to the final before she was upset by seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber.