Serena Williams is master of deflecting, dodging and avoiding the obvious question in the build-up to Wimbledon.
And the five-time champion was doing her best to throw her questioners off the scent as she arrived at the All England Club.
Wins in Melbourne and Paris keeps Williams on course for a calendar year Grand Slam – a feat not achieved since Steffi Graf in 1988 – and another victory in SW19 would mean she’s just three away from Margaret Court’s all-time record.
But top seed Williams hasn’t won at the All England Club since 2012 and has suffered relatively early exits in the last two years, against Sabine Lisicki and Alize Cornet in the fourth and third round respectively.
“I don’t feel any added pressure to win all four,” she said, ahead of her first round match with world number 113, Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan.
“If I would happen to win here then maybe I might start feeling it after that but ultimately I’m taking it one day at a time and I’m not thinking that far ahead.
“Oddly enough grass has never has been my favourite surface but I’ve always done really well here, so I think my game is really suited for the grass.”
Roger Federer has never won more than three Slams in the same year but believes Williams is in a great place to better that achievement – providing there is no complacency.
“When she plays on her terms, you would think Wimbledon and the US Open would be the easier ones to win, especially with her serve,” he said.
“However, that’s exactly when you have a hiccup and you don’t do very well. The biggest mistake would be to think being in the finals of the US Open already.
“It’s about getting through this first week. At the end of the day, you just hope to move on and give yourself the opportunity to be in the semis and in the finals. Once she gets there, she’s always going to be the favourite.
“I think the danger would be the first four or five matches for her.”
Former champion Maria Sharapova is seeded to play Williams – a player she’s not beaten in 11 years – in the semi-finals and also admits she’s a clear favourite for a sixth title.
“I think her results speak for herself and she’s certainly the one to beat,” she said, ahead of her first round match with Great Britain’s Johanna Konta.
“Serena’s got all the confidence in the world having won the last three majors, not just the two in this year.
“It’s one thing to do it at one event or two events, but in order to have that level to be able to do it consistently I think is pretty incredible.”
