Serena: I always ask my dad why I wasn’t a lefty

How good Serena Williams have been if she was left handed?

The American player answered it: “Gosh, I always ask my dad why wasn’t I a lefty? Even when I was younger I wanted to be lefty. I could have been really good. (Smiling.)’ How many slams? ‘I don’t know. Who knows? I don’t know. But lefties are just so cool. I just love lefties. Maybe it’s just a hangup I have. We’ll never know.’ Does she have a dream about the week without having to sign any autographs? ‘Yeah, sometimes I get a little stressed out.

“I just like to stay in my room and just be away from everything because I don’t want to, like — you know, everyone’s always so… But when I’m out I feel like I have that responsibility to my fans to sign and to please, so that’s why I say I’m more or less — I always kind of stay inside.

“You rarely see me out.” Serena also commented on the power of the WTA Tour: ‘It’s amazing. This you tour has been together for 40 years because of pioneers and those women that held up that dollar in that infamous picture.

“They created a tour that I’m able to play on, every player right now is able to play on because of that opportunity. We’re able to be professional athletes because of that. It is just so impressive and something I don’t think I could ever do in my lifetime.

“I can only benefit from it. What an honor to be able to benefit from that. I’m a big Billie Jean King fan. Her match against Bobby Riggs was really good for women’s empowerment and movement. Definitely a lot anniversaries, and I think it should be celebrated all year the way the WTA is doing it.”