Serena Williams says she wouldn't be in Australia if she didn't love her job

Serena Wiliams on Day 5 at the 2021 Australian Open

Serena Williams has 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Majors in doubles, and 319 weeks at No. 1 to her credit. But despite all those legendary accomplishments, she still remains in love with the sport of tennis.

While several of Williams' contemporaries have retired (some of them more than once), had children and / or gone on to pursue other avenues, the 39-year-old Serena Williams continues to strive for excellence on the court.

In search of her record-equalling 24th Major title at the ongoing Australian Open, Williams advanced to the fourth round on Friday with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 win over Russian Anastasia Potapova. And in her post-match press conference, the American delved into her love for the game and how it remains one of her biggest driving factors.

"I wouldn't be in Australia if I didn't love what I do," Williams stated. "I think that love is one of the single greatest things in the world that you can have. It propels you to be your best in your job, whether it's playing tennis or whether it's doing something else."

Serena Williams, who is a profeessional tennis player and also a mother, wife and businesswoman, will next meet the No. 7 seed Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday. The Belarusian defeated Ann Li 6-3, 6-1 in her third-round match to continue her good run of form.

Sabalenka has now won 18 of her last 19 matches, including three of her last four tournaments coming in. Serena Williams would undoubtedly have to bring forth all of her love for tennis if she wants to conquer the Sabalenka obstacle.

Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. is the greatest love of my life: Serena Williams

Serena Williams with her daughter Alexis Olympia at the 2020 Women's ASB Classic in Auckland

In other Serena Williams news, the American recently answered the Proust Questionnaire for Vanity Fair magazine.

The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions posed by French writer Marcel Proust. It is widely used by interviewers in modern times to get interesting responses from public personalities.

In her questionnaire, Serena Williams revealed that her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. is the 'greatest love of her life as well' as her 'greatest achievement'. Serena also named older sister Venus as the living person she admires the most, and her parents - Richard Williams and Oracene Price - as her real life heroes.

Here are some of the other interesting responses that the American gave as part of the questionnaire:

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being surrounded by my family and friends.

Which talent would you most like to have? I wish I could code!

What is your greatest regret? I don’t believe in regrets.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I wouldn’t change anything about myself. If you asked me 20 years ago, I probably would have had a long list. But I’ve learned to appreciate and love who I am.