Surly Serena fails to catch mood in Miami

As a Florida resident and restored to the dominant force that ruled women's tennis earlier this millennium, Serena Williams is seen as the face of a tournament that styles itself as the fifth Grand Slam.

Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne all have their lustre bu,t in Key Biscayne, Serena is queen.

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She has won the title here on three occasions and, living in Palm Beach Gardens, is embraced in these parts more than anywhere else on tour.

It is to be hoped then, that her play on court when the squally showers finally relent in Miami at some point over the weekend will be filled with rather more enthusiasm than the press conference obligation she fulfilled yesterday.

Abrupt, dismissive and generally wearing the look of someone who would rather be anywhere else, the 25-year-old could not even bring herself to indulge in her favourite pastime of acting.

Yes, there are no ranking points to be gleaned from a stunning performance in the press conference room, but having gained equality at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, women's tennis is being projected as a place of sweetness and light right now.

Serena has yet to catch the mood. If the cliches were trotted out - "I'm ready to bring my A game, do whatever it takes" - the overriding impression was not that of a girl who rediscovered her zest for winning six weeks ago at the Australian Open.

It was of a young woman who is as weary of the circus that surrounds tennis and the commitment to training that is required to stay on top as she was when she first slipped from her perch of holding all four Grand Slam titles in the spring of 2003. Miami will be her first event since that triumph at Melbourne Park.

Williams said: "Actually I couldn't wait to get back to a tournament because this is the easiest part and the training is the hardest part.

"'I thought I've got to start playing because it's easier than practising all these hours and running and all the other stuff. But I think I'm in a little better shape than I was in Australia."

Of course, the worry for her opponents in Key Biscayne is that even devoid of enthusiasm away from the match court, Serena's fierce competitiveness rises up immediately once she steps back on to it.

It is there where her true value as one of the marquee names of the women's tour will ultimately be judged.