Serena Williams in race to overcome injury

Serena Williams says she may not be fit to play her Australian Open first round match on Monday.

Serena Williams says she may not be fit to play her Australian Open first round match on Monday.

Williams, 20, turned her ankle during her Sydney International semi-final on Friday night and sought to delay her opening match against Spain's Conchita Martinez to aid her recovery.

But her request was declined by tournament officials.

"I have to play tomorrow, they wouldn't give me a later start, so I'm trying to just make it and we'll see," Williams said today, adding that she was "pretty much recovered" from the ankle injury.

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"I just want to make sure I'm in the draw so far," she said. "I just want to play my first match and see how that goes.

"It's the first slam of the year so obviously you're really pumped and you've been off for a while and you really want to play, you really want to do well," she said.

Williams reached the quarter-finals last year where she lost a thriller to former world No.1 Martina Hingis.

She is again seeded to face Hingis in the quarter-finals, with the winner expected to play Williams' sister, Venus, in the semi-finals.

AFP