Serena Williams ready to play through knee pain to defend Miami Open title

World number one women's tennis player Serena Williams is ready to manage through her knee pain to start her title defense at the ATP and WTA Miami Open on Friday.

The 19-time Grand Slam singles champion, forced out before her Indian Wells semifinal last week against eventual champion Simona Halep, said that she expects to manage pain when she opens in the second round against Romanian Monica Niculescu.

Williams said that she is just managing where she is right now, adding that she is just trying to stay out of as much pain as possible and see what happens, insisting that she knows that she is going to have to manage the pain, Sport24 reported.

Williams believes that if she is in that mental state, OK, one might be in a little pain, adding that one just has to figure out the best way around it.

The Niculescu match is a repeat of the second round a fortnight ago in Indian Wells, which Williams won in two difficult sets, and would probably bring her big pain test.

The American tennis ace said that she doesn't want to put too much pressure on it before, adding that she is just there in Miami, so she is just going to go for it and see what happens.

The top seed would be bidding for a record eighth trophy at her home event, capturing her seventh last year when she beat China's Li Na in the final, the report added.