By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday June 29, 2019
Serena Williams took inspiration from Great Britain's World Cup team in France, but she's still backing the U.S.
Photo Source: AP
The British Women’s Football World Cup has inspired Serena Williams.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion says she trained close to the The Lionesses while in France and even called them her “workout buddies.”
But that won’t keep Williams from rooting for the Americans when the two clubs meet in heavily anticipated World Cup semi-final clash in Lyon on Tuesday.
“It's so funny because obviously I'm rooting for U.S,” Williams said. “I love the team. But when I was training in Paris, the British players were training exactly where I was every day. We were at breakfast. It was so fun to see how hard they worked, just how amazing they were.”
Allegiance aside, the 37-year-old seemed to take from inspiration from the Brits.
“I was looking at them in the gym. “I'm like, ‘Okay, I cannot do that.’ At one point I wanted to join in their ab exercise. Wonder if I could scoot to the side and do exactly what they're doing.”
She added: “It's kind of cool being in that experience of watching the Brit women, then having obviously the team that I'm rooting for, USA, go against each other.”
Williams added: “We spoke. We were, like, workout buddies. I didn't really work out with them, but we worked out in the same vicinity. I like to say we worked out together.”
Williams will begin her Wimbledon on Tuesday when she meets Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone in the first round. Williams fell in third round action to compatriot Sofia Kenin.
She has been battling and admitted that 2019 has been a rough season for her because she hasn’t been healthy enough get match fit. She has given two walkovers and retired from a match, playing just six competitive matches since falling to Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open quarter-finals.
“I was dealing with some bad injuries all year,” she said. “I just haven't had enough match play, quite frankly.”
The seven-time Wimbledon champion said she stayed in Paris and saw some doctors before beginning her training.
“I stayed there [in Paris],” she said. “I saw some good doctors. Yeah, I'm feeling better.”
Williams said she began her training for Wimbledon just under two weeks ago.
“I've had a good week and a half, but I have been really just mentally training, physically training for that time here. I'm just going to do the best that I can now that I'm here,” she said. “I know how to play tennis.”