Serena Williams [Source: BBC]

Former world number one Serena Williams says she may not have been able to play in the Australian Open had it not been pushed back by three weeks.

The first Grand Slam of the year was delayed to allow players to quarantine.

Williams, chasing a record-equaling 24th major singles title next week, said she “needed the extra time” to fully recover from an Achilles injury sustained at the US Open in September.

She and Britain’s Katie Boulter won their openers as warm-up events began.

[Source: BBC Sport]