"I love my job,'' the 28-year-old American said Tuesday ahead of an exhibition tournament to prepare for the Australian Open. "I love hitting balls, running, jumping, chasing after that ball. I love what I do, so that's what keeps me motivated.''
While many of her contemporaries, like Belgian stars Justin Henin and Kim Clijsters and Switzerland's Martina Hingis, have left the WTA Tour, the elder of the two Williams sisters is still hungry for more.
Williams has won Wimbledon five times and the U.S. Open twice, but has had less success at the other two Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the final at the French Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003.
"I haven't won the French or the Australian, although I've come pretty close, so those are definitely on my list,'' Williams said, adding that reclaiming the No. 1 ranking this year is a realistic goal.
The sixth-ranked Williams, who the title at Wimbledon and the season-ending WTA Championship in 2008, said she's feeling healthy after a four-week break.
"Nothing to complain about right now,'' Williams said.
The American is playing in Hong Kong starting Wednesday as her only preparation for the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 19 in Melbourne.
She will captain the Americas in the team-format, which also features top-ranked Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Russian players Vera Zvonareva and Anna Chakvetadze, Agnes Szavay of Hungary, Zheng Jie of China and Sania Mirza of India.
Williams also said she will sparingly use new WTA Tour rules that allow on-court coaching this year.
"I'll probably call the coach if my opponent calls the coach,'' Williams said. "I'll be watching to see what she does.''
---
On the Net:
Venus Williams: http://www.venuswilliams.com
Williams sisters, Nadal rose to top in 2008
Davenport returns with Aussie Open entry
Casquero Wants Trophy And Spain Call
