Serena Williams: Why Star Needs to Stop Worrying About Wardrobe and Focus

Serena Williams needs to stop worrying about her wardrobe and off-the-court matters if she wants to get her storied career back on track during the 2012 Australian Open.

Williams progressed to the second round in Melbourne with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Tamira Paszek Tuesday night, but there is plenty of work ahead of her.

The American star hasn't won a Grand Slam singles title since Wimbledon in 2010, and if she wants to claim her 14th Grand Slam title, she needs to shift her focus squarely on the tennis court.

Doing that seems to be a challenge for Williams, who earlier this month said she never liked sports.

Per the Guardian:

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"It's not that I've fallen out of love," the winner of 13 grand slams went on to muse. "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. If it involves sitting down or shopping, I'm excellent at it."

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These comments were as strange as they were funny. How can such a successful tennis star not like playing sports or doing things that involve working out? I mean, who isn't excellent at shopping?

While Williams' honesty is refreshing and rarely seen among today's athletes, these comments are a concern regarding her tennis career.

After struggling with injuries last season, which caused her to miss the 2011 Australian Open, Williams has a long road to get back to the top five of the women's rankings.

Williams needs to forget about her clothing line and focus on tennis. She has so much talent, and it would be a shame if she wasted it on personal issues.

Not only does she need to worry less about her wardrobe, she needs to do a better job of not allowing her personal life to affect her focus on tennis.

Per Yahoo Sports:

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"I haven't been on a date in forever," Williams said.

"I can be super picky, never satisfied. It's a little crazy right now because there's so much going on that when I'm not playing tennis I don't sleep because I'm always doing something."

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As anyone knows, you need your sleep to be most effective in whatever you do each day. As a tennis player looking to climb back among the world's best, Williams needs to make sure she keeps her body and mind fresh.

This means she must sleep, focus less on her appearance and just worry about cementing her legacy as one of the top three women's tennis players of all time.

Williams' performance in Melbourne this month will tell us a lot about where she is regarding her desire to be the best again or if she's still not completely focused on tennis.