Serena Williams Hoping To Play At Miami Open
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KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Less than one week after Serena Williams withdrew from her Indian Wells semifinal with a knee injury, the two-time Miami Open defending champion said on Wednesday she's hoping to be fit to play on Friday night.
One reason Williams is so intent on playing at Miami is she considers it her home tournament — she lives a little over an hour away in Palm Beach County.
The other reason Williams doesn't want to miss the Miami Open is her success at the event. She's won the title a record seven times.
"I didn't think I would be doing this interview today," Williams said. "I stepped on the court (for practice) and I was just like, 'I love this place. I love playing at home.'"
Click here to watch Jim Berry's report.
Williams, who practiced for the first time on Wednesday, was treated with an anti-inflammatory injection at Indian Wells.
"I'm just managing where I am right now," she said. "Just trying to stay out of as much pain as possible and see what happens."
Williams, who received a first-round bye, says she won't test the knee full-out until she steps on the court for her second-round match against Monica Niculescu of Romania.
Williams played Niculescu in the second round at Indian Wells last week and won the match 7-5, 7-5.
"Probably on my first match, if I get that far," Williams said. "I don't want to put too much pressure on it before.
"I'm just going to go for it and see what happens."
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