World No. 1 Serena Williams confirmed Saturday she plans to play doubles at the Olympics in Rio this year and is even mulling the mixed event if she can find a partner. Serena and sister Venus have an enviable record for the United States at the Olympics, claiming the women's doubles gold in 2000, 2008 and 2012. Serena is also the current Olympic singles champion and is keen for more glory. "We definitely want to play doubles there," she said ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne. "So we're going to play some tournaments later in the year, get our doubles game back, see how it goes." Asked if she would consider playing mixed doubles as well in Rio, she replied: "I would love to. "I don't know, though. That's a lot of matches. We'll see," she added. "I play well with John (Isner). I didn't get to play with Jack (Sock). "Yeah, anyone with a big serve, where I can just stand at the net and look good, that's all I need to do." However, ailing knees, Father Time and even a resurgent Victoria Azarenka stand in the way of Serena clinching her seventh Australian Open title and giving her one more shot at an achievement that would cap her storied career. Serena, already considered one of the all time greats, has 21 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals and more than $74 million in career earnings but the 34-year-old is no doubt aiming to become the greatest of them all. She had the opportunity last year to clinch the only feat missing from her resume and become the first female player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to capture a calendar Grand Slam at the US Open. Victory at Flushing Meadows would have moved her into a tie with Graf on 22 Grand Slam titles, the most in the Open era, and two behind the all-time leader, Australia's Margaret Court. Instead, knees that were constantly causing her pain and a sore elbow that reduced the power on her serve and groundstrokes, ended her hopes in the semi-finals. She skipped the remainder of the year to recuperate, also indicating the mental pressure to achieve the Grand Slam had taken a toll as she admitted her heart had been broken by the defeat to Italy's Roberta Vinci. The rest, no doubt helped her refresh physically and mentally, but of greater concern is her propensity to self-destruct — as she previously has done in Melbourne — and the continued issues with her knees. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou said last year she had ‘very little' cartilage left in the joints and she was forced out of the Hopman Cup in Perth last week with more knee pain. The Frenchman was also no doubt casting a glance towards the resurgence of Azarenka, who has had a tormented two years with foot injuries and a downward spiral in the rankings. The Belarusian, who won successive Australian Opens in 2012 and 2013, however, stormed to victory in Brisbane last week as she dropped just 17 games over five matches to claim her first title since the Cincinnati Masters in August 2013. She is one of the few players with the power and speed to consistently challenge world No. 1 Serena, who she pushed to a deciding set in each of their three matches last year while ostensibly still on the comeback trail. — Agencies
