Serena Williams wacked her racquet off the soles of her shoes to shake loose some clumps of red clay and jump-start her feet into action.

A week after the euphoria of winning her 19th Grand Slam title on the blue hard court at the Australian Open, the world No. 1 looked jet-lagged and worn out at the start of her Fed Cup return on the red clay of Argentina.

A sluggish Serena denied five break points in the first set then got her feet going rolling through eight straight games to seal 7-5, 6-0 win over Maria Irigoyen at the Pilara Tennis Club Buenos Aires.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist remained perfect in Fed Cup competition, raising her singles record to 11-0. Serena has won 49 of her last 51 clay-court matches.

The victory followed sister Venus Williams' 6-3, 6-2 sweep of Paula Ormaechea that gave the United States a 1-0 lead.




"It was two completely different sets," Serena told Fed Cup.com. "I was really trying to find my rhythm. The ball bounced much higher than it did in practice and my feet weren't moving as good as they should have. It was really just all about trying to find my rhythm in that first set."

Still battling a cough that bothered her in Melbourne, Williams adjusted to hotter conditions, slower surface higher bounce.

"It's definitely much more humid here, much more hot here," Williams said. "The conditions are hot. The court gets a few bad bounces, which is just normal for clay so its just getting used to the clay court and getting used to sliding again."

That wasn't the only adjustment. Williams went from playing in front of 15,000 people in Rod Laver Arena to a much smaller crowd,with some fans sitting on the grass of the cozy Pilara Tennis Club.

“I’ve played in some cozy, small stadiums around the world, including the Ukraine in Fed Cup," said Serena. "It’s a great chance for fans and people to come here to get up close to the tennis. I am excited to play for them.”

Photo credit: Sergio Llamera