World No.1 Serena Williams believes her failing body is the biggest barrier to defending her Australian Open title but has vowed to keep on battling through her litany of injuries and will never give up while she 'has a heartbeat'.
Williams looked destined for an early flight home when she trailed No.7 Victoria Azarenka 4-6 0-4 in a dramatic quarter final, but the four-time champion rallied superbly to get her self through to a semi-final encounter with Li Na, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
While admitting that she had been outplayed by the Belarussian for much of the first two sets, Williams hinted that she was far from her best physically and that it was only her mental strength which got her through.
"Physically it was hard, but I was able to push through it. You know, I think that's fine. Like I said, I don't make any excuses. Win, lose are or draw, I'm here and I have a heartbeat, and that's more than a lot of people have," she said.
Williams was quizzed on the nature of her injuries, given she was brandishing several bandages and appear to be struggling to get around the court on several occasions.
"I have everything bandaged. The calf's been bandaged, but it's alright," she said unconvincingly.
"I just got to do the best that I can. I can't be disappointed with anything. Just I feel like I've been on an uphill battle this whole tournament and I'm still alive. No matter what, I feel like if I can stay positive I'll be fine."
Being up against it is nothing new for Williams, who has been forced to come from match point down positions several times in her four previous titles at Melbourne Park.
She said that while she considered that she may exit the tournament when Azarenka had a hold of the match, she always backs herself to fight on.
"I was just trying to do what I could. I wasn't feeling that great. I thought, Well, worst-case scenario I can go home. I never really count myself out. Those are random thoughts," she said.
Meanwhile, Azarenka admitted she had a few random thoughts of her own when she found herself within touching distance of a first appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final.
"What was going through my head was I just had to hang in there and try to be more aggressive. The only thing I did is I probably backed up a little bit. I gave her more time to go for her shots. She was really in the zone at that point. She knows how to handle herself, more experience, and I just have to learn from it," she said.
The 20-year-old admitted that she had no answer to Williams' power late in the match.
"I think it's impressive the way she does it. As I said, I had to take my chances, and of course she's a strong girl. She has very powerful shots. You don't see many girls serving 200 in the third set."