Serena Williams dreams of being a superhero (Feature)

By Sebastian Fest Jun 2, 2009, 17:06 GMT

Paris - The first thing that catches the eye in Serena Williams is her handbag: it moves, it's alive.

'My girls, do you want to see them?' she asks with a big smile as she opens the bag and shows off her two tiny dogs. 'My kids, my babies! They have to be with me.'

Williams - whom many see as the real world number one in women's tennis, even if the top spot is currently in the hands of the Russian Dinara Safina - is in an excellent mood during an interview with the German Press Agency dpa in Paris.

'This is Lorelei, she does yoga. And this is Jackie. Mum is working now, so, you eat. Kiss!'

Such a mood is perfect for an interview with one of the best tennis players of all time, the winner of 33 tournaments, 10 of them Grand Slam tournaments, and world number one at several stages.

'I hate 'should haves,' I think it should be more or less live my life to the fullest and have no regrets,' she said.

Well, maybe there is one. Serena still remembers the third round of the 2004 US Open, with the controversial umpire intervention during a match against her compatriot Jennifer Capriati.

The umpire was wrong to say that a backhand drive from Serena that clearly bounced in was actually out. That happened in the third set, and Williams never recovered.

'I don't think there's anything that I lost that I should have won. Maybe the US Open, cause I was cheated one time, is the only one I could say.'

She is not really bothered by the world ranking.

'I just look at winning titles,' she said. 'The ranking is not my main concern, it's just doing well on the court and enjoying myself. Having fun, that's what life is about.'

Serena Williams cannot find a straight answer when asked who she thinks is the best female player in the world, beyond her and sister Venus - who think they are better than anyone else.

'I don't know... Everyone out here is so good. Who would you say?' she wondered. 'Yeah, some days they are excellent, and some weeks they fall off, they get injured, so it's really hard to say.'

The face of the winner of two Wimbledon titles (2002, 2003) lights up when the name of US President Barack Obama, the country's first African American leader.

'I was really excited when he became president. I was in Qatar for the championships, i remember it was 4, 5 in the morning and I stayed awake so I could watch it.

'In Australia I set my alarm so I could watch the inauguration on TV. It was a great moment, it's a good moment in history. I think he's so down to earth, and so natural, and so normal...'

Serena has a dream: meeting Obama in person.

'I haven't met Obama. Of course, he would be someone I would love to meet.'

The same goes for First Lady Michelle Obama, who made a name for herself with her good taste in clothes.

'She wears lots of sleeveless, and I love that, she has the arms to do it. She has a great physique,' Williams notes.

Then, it is confession time.

'I would die to design a dress for her, I would love to have done her inauguration dress,' the tennis player said.

'My main specialty is gowns, I love drawing gowns and just stuff like that, I would love doing that, picking the material (for Michelle Obama), it would be awesome.'

Williams smiles when reminded that, if her interview with dpa is read in the White House, she may in fact get a chance.

'Yeah, I would love that, it would be awesome.'

She kept laughing, although with a tinge of bitterness, when asked about her acting career. Years ago she promoted her plans in the movies all the time, but now she barely talks about them.

'It's hard, I've been struggling. It's hard to get a job. I also think maybe I'm too big, because all the actresses are really slim,' she admits.

The 68 kilogrammes and 1.75 metres that the WTA officially lists as her measurements seem, indeed, scarce when you stand next to Serena, a player that intimidates rivals with her powerful physique.

'I would have to be anorexic and I can't do that, because I'm playing tennis,' she says of getting thinner for the cameras.

However, she laughs when asked whether anyone actually told her that she was too big to be an actress.

'No, no, this is what I think, because I've been looking at all the actresses, they are like this big and I'm more like this,' she laughs, opening her arms.

'Plus my tennis career is usually January to November,' she notes.

'I would be a better action hero, they don't have to be like this,' Williams smiles, as she puts her finger and thumb together. 'They do kicks, like action...'

Would she like to turn into Superserena?

'Yeah, I like that!'

Her next answer is a bit scary: when does she think she will retire?

'When they shoot me.'

Yetunde, the oldest of the Williams sisters, was indeed shot dead in September 2003 as she walked through Compton, the violent Los Angeles where the girls grew up.

The situation was at best uncomfortable, but Williams made it clear that she is looking forward to playing further.

For the future, she foresees 'lots of dogs.'

'I don't know about a big house, I don't like big houses. Just a normal house. I like dogs a lot, a nanny...'

Any children?

'I have to get started today if I want one. That's clearly not going to happen. And with my age... We'll see.'