Serena Williams sought a little bit of extra guidance from a tried and trusted source closer to home this time around, spending time in the off season with her dad, Richard Williams, in Florida to fine-tune parts of her game.
"My dad has always been, for me, my greatest coach," Williams said. "He knows me better than anybody else."
Before her 2013 season Williams worked out in Mauritius with Patrick Mouratoglou's group. After an upset loss in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park to Sloane Stephens, she rebounded to win 78 of her 82 matches last season.
After opening 2014 with a successful title defense in Brisbane, with Mouratoglou still in the stands, Williams is confident she can end Victoria Azarenka's two-year reign at Melbourne Park.
Williams, who hasn't lost a competitive match since August, starts her Australian Open campaign against Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty, and has 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur and two-time Australian finalist Li Na in her half of the draw.