Serena Williams: Tennis Star Will Shine at Australian Open Despite Dating Issues

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is on a noteworthy dating drought heading into the 2012 Australian Open in Melbourne, according to a report by FoxSports.com.

The five-time Aussie Open champion and two-time defending Slam champ said she hasn't been on a date in forever and believes the combination of being extremely picky and constantly busy has contributed to her remaining single for so long.

Still, don't expect that to slow down the 30-year-old Williams this January in Australia. 

Despite suffering from an iffy ankle and ranking just 13th in the world in the current WTA rankings, Williams is the woman to beat Down Under. 

Quite frankly, there are few athletic talents in the history as competitive as Williams and as capable of shining on the a sport's biggest stage.

Williams' recent admission that she doesn't "love" tennis will do little to harm her chances at the Australian Open. If anything, her statements are self-motivating tactics to inspire her for the next two weeks.

"

I don't love tennis today, but I'm here, and I can't live without it, it's not that I've fallen out of love. I've actually never liked sports, and I never understood how I became an athlete. I don't like working out. I don't like anything that has to do with working physically.

"

There is such thing as being physically better than everyone else at something. But unlike a similar athlete in LeBron James, Williams has the heart and head to finish, to win championships. 

They say practice makes perfect, and that very well may be true. But Williams has practiced winning Slams and dominating the sport's best at its highest level. That experience seems to translate every year just when she's counted out by dating experts and the tennis pundits. 

If the past is any indication of the future though, Williams will be there at the end this month in prime position to shut out her personal life dramas and take the Australian Open championship for the third straight year.