Serena 'trying to get that physical back' as she returns to tour

Serena Williams says her decision to get fitter helped her career resurgence a few years ago, and that she is "trying to get that physical back" as she returns to tour.

“Mental aspect is a huge part of my game. Physical is tough as well," Serena told *Bloomberg* in a pre-recorded interview.

“It’s a part of the job. A few years ago, I described and I realized that for the first time, I realized that my job was to stay fit. Simply put, so I was like, 'Okay, you have to have a better diet. You have to do this.' That’s my job, literally that’s my job. I was like, 'You know what, Serena,' and that gave me the motivation just to work harder on that, so sometimes, breaking things down like simple, so simple like that just can also help.”

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Williams won four Grand Slams in a row between 2014 and 2015, and the now 23-time Grand Slam champion won the 2017 Australian Open before taking the rest of the season off to have her first child.

Some complications during childbirth delayed her planned comeback. Williams returned to WTA competition at Indian Wells, reaching the third round before falling to her sister, Venus, and then went down in the first round of Miami.

Williams said that she is still as competitive as before, but noted it has just been physically tougher to return.

“It’s always been something innate for me,” she said. “Like, mentally, I’ve always clicked. I’ve always wanted to be on top, to be holding the trophies. I have always wanted that, so mentally, I knew what it took to get there and physically, even today, trying to get back and trying to get that physical back. I got the mental, but I am just trying to get that physical back.”

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