Serena Williams: Why Serena Must Find Her Long-Lost Love for Tennis to Win

If Serena Williams wants to win the Australian Open, she needs to find her love for tennis.

Williams recently admitted that she never loved sports, and doesn't enjoy doing anything physical.

While that doesn't sound like a traditional 13-time Grand Slam winner, Williams has been anything but traditional. She has been one of the most dominant forces in women's sports history, and she is attempting to add to her legacy.

If she wants to win the Australian Open, she will need to find her long-lost love of the game. Her competition is tough, her health is questionable and she is far beyond her prime.

With so many great players hoping to start out 2012 well, Williams will need a serious drive to pull off multiple upsets. Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed, and she will be incredibly tough to beat. Not to mention, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is no slouch with the No. 2 seed.

There are 12 players ranked higher than Williams. Not all of them are more talented, but they are certainly playing better. If Williams hopes to beat any of them, she will need to have a love and passion for what she's doing.

Second, Williams will need to overcome some health concerns.

She has been battling an injured ankle, and it won't go away for this tournament. She was wearing a bandage around her ankle during Monday's practice, and she will be nursing it throughout the tournament.

If she wants to win the tournament, she will have to fight the pain in her ankle. If she doesn't love the sport, it will be tough for her to overcome severe pain.

Therefore, she will most likely need to have a passion for the sport in order to keep competing.

Finally, Williams isn't the same player she has been.

She won the Australian Open in 2009 and 2010, but she her play has declined since then.

If she hopes to regain that form, she will need to have some passion. She is well past her prime, but she still has enough talent to win a Grand Slam or two.

For this Grand Slam, she will need to use emotion to carry her through. With that passion, she gives herself a serious chance of winning this tournament.

Williams will face tough competition and injury concerns, while trying to defeat her own shortcomings. If she hopes to overcome these obstacles, she will need to find her love of the game.

If Williams can find her long-lost passion, she gives herself a chance to win the Australian Open.