Serena Williams poses for a fitness magazine

New Delhi: Serena Williams, the world No 1 admits to wishing she had a more athletic figure when she was younger but soon learned to love her body.Posing in a swimsuit for the May issue of Fitness magazine, Williams said: 'When I was young I thought I should be built more like an athlete - long and lean - not with a womanly figure.'However, as she found increased success Sernea developed a huge following.She explained: 'But then people my age started coming up to me and saying, "I love you because of the way you look." That was really motivating.'So I learned to be proud of my curves and embrace my large boobs. It's all about loving who you are and realizing that you're beautiful.'While Williams is thought of as one of the greatest players in history, she also enjoys sport for fun.The 32-year-old, who is the current reigning French Open, US Open, WTA Tour Championships and Olympic ladies singles champion, also revealed she adopts a persona on court.'I think of myself as two different people,' she said. 'There's the Serena Williams that everyone knows: She's crazy. She can't make a mistake. 'And she's angry and just not nice, to be honest. I'm only that person for three hours a day when I'm on the court. The rest of the time I'm just Serena. I'm the class clown.' Today Williams is the oldest player in history to be ranked world number one.Early in 2011 she was hospitalised with a blood clot in her lungs, which nearly killed her. She tells Fitness that for the first time she realised her health came first.