Australian Open 2012: Pain-Free Serena Williams Spells Trouble for Rest of Field

She’s baaaack!

Serena Williams has been dealing with serious injuries for the better part of two years now but she is finally healthy to begin the new year.  Well, she does have a minor toe injury, but judging by the way she moved on Tuesday night in Australia, it’s not a concern.

The 2012 Australian Open is underway and Williams is looking good. Literally. She is donning an incredible six-pack and looks to be in tip-top shape.

She easily dispatched of Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-2 in 79 minutes in a promising tune-up. After the match she sounded very optimistic about how her left ankle was holding up:

"

She made a few drop shots, and really pushed me physically. I think I needed it to assess my ankle. Last night was the first night I didn't have any pain in it.

"

Williams had some absolute lasers on her serve and Paszek just couldn’t catch up to them. The only thing that really bothered Serena were the nighttime bugs that were swarming around Melbourne Park’s Rod Laver Arena.

Sure, only one other 30-year-old has ever won the Aussie Open (Margaret Court 1973), but I think Serena can defy the odds.  

She is rested, healthy and eager to shut up the critics that are ripping her for admitting she isn’t in love with tennis. Regardless of what she tells the press, there is no question she has a burning desire to win.

Factor that in with Serena’s success down under and it’s hard to bet against her. She has won five titles and hasn’t lost since 2008. No tournament has provided more success for Williams throughout her career.

The 12^th seed is the one to beat and all of the young up-and-comers are going to get a hard lesson on why you shouldn’t be messing with your elders.