KEY POINTS:
Serena Williams admits she has yet to see her first-round opponent at the Australian Open, newly adopted Australian Jarmila Gajdosova.
She also didn't watch world No 1 Justine Henin - looming as the greatest threat to her Australian Open title over the next fortnight - beat world No
2 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Sydney International final Friday night.
The admissions back Williams' claim she feels no pressure going into tennis' first grand slam of the year as the defending champion.
After winning the 2007 women's singles title against the odds last year - unseeded and amid queries about her weight and well-being - Williams arrived at Melbourne Park this year looking and feeling fit.
Far from the rotund figure she became ahead of last year's tournament, the powerhouse American aims for her fourth Australian Open singles title with a target on her back - and she knows it.
"Last year I was completely under the radar. I had absolutely no expectations from anyone and that really made me want to prove everyone wrong," Williams said.
"This year it's completely opposite where I more or less have a lot of expectations, but I'm still here for me more than anything.
"My preparation's been really good. I've been just training every day - it's been really good and positive.
"My body will allow anything. It's ready for anything."
The seventh seed faces Slovakian-turned-Aussie Gajdosova to open a tournament which puts her on a semifinal collision course with Henin, whose return to form stretched through 2007 after she missed the Australian Open because of her marriage breakdown.
But Williams warned that her sister Venus, her daily practice partner, would be the biggest threat to her title though she acknowledged 2007 French and US Open winner Henin's claims.
"My biggest concern is who I practise with every day. Venus is playing unbelievable," Williams said. "I think Justine is a big concern as well, but I don't necessarily think about my opponents like that."
One opponent Williams was keen to talk up was former No 1 Lindsay Davenport - back on the tour after giving birth to her first child. Davenport, unseeded at Melbourne, takes on Italian Sara Errani in the first round.
"She's my ultimate role model. I'm speechless because she looks better than me and she's seven months out from having a baby.
"I'm convinced if I had a baby, seven months later I'd probably still be in the hospital trying to get over the pain," Williams said.
Meanwhile Henin, who hasn't lost in six months, is riding a 28-match winning streak and is accruing titles like there's no tomorrow.
But don't tell her she's invincible heading into the Australian Open.
"I never get this feeling," Henin said after accounting for Kuznetsova 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the final of the Sydney International.
"That would be a big mistake because you have to start again every week. "Little details make a big difference and you need to be at your top all the time."
Quite clearly, the level-headed Henin is not getting carried away, despite having been at the very top of her game since completing a French Open hat-trick in June.
The 25-year-old Belgian has lost just one of her last 45 matches - to Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon semifinals - and capped the most dominant season since Steffi Graf in 1989 with success at the WTA championships in November.
Without a match in almost two months, Henin lobbed into Sydney and picked up where she finished off in 2007. Her triumph over Kuznetsova was her 16th from 18 meetings with her supposed closest rival.
Henin, though, refuses to take her Open favouritism for granted. "In the grand slams, it's long, it's high pressure and it's seven matches."
The Belgian fought back from 3-0 down in the final set to take plenty of confidence to Melbourne.
"I was starting to feel much better because Svetlana played a great match. She was really intense, really aggressive, didn't make so many mistakes and really pushed me to my limits. And that's the type of match I needed before the Open.
- AAP