US Open 2012: Serena Williams advances to 3rd round, not ready to retire

Serena Williams returns a shot to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez at the US Open. PHOTO/Mike Groll/AP

Serena Williams has no plans to follow Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick into retirement after the US Open, the 14-time Grand Slam champion saying their departures makes her more determined to keep going.

US fourth seed Williams, coming off titles at Wimbledon and the Olympics in the past two months, advanced to the third round of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Thursday.

After the victory, she pondered Wednesday’s retirement of three-time US Open winner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick’s announcement on Thursday that this would be his final tournament.

“It makes me want to stay more,” Williams said. “It doesn’t make me say, ‘Oh I should retire.’ No. I wouldn’t have anything to do.”

Copyright 2012 AFP