Reuters
 
New York, Oct 9: Eight-times grand slam champion Serena Williams said on Monday her attitude had changed and she was ready to reclaim the world's number one ranking.

"I definitely think I'm ready for it," said the seventh-ranked American. "I'm ready to dedicate myself. I'm excited by the fact that I have so much motivation.

"That's why I was so upset at the U.S. Open. I'm really motivated now, my whole attitude has changed."

Williams was the world's top player in 2002 when she won three grand slams but a mixture of injury and a lack of focus caused a slide in the rankings.

"Definitely injury has a lot to do with it," Williams told Reuters in a telephone interview from Moscow. "Well, maybe it's a little bit of both, injury and my other interests.

"But I'm not going to stop doing what I do. I'm stubborn. That's a flaw that I have." The 26-year-old Williams is involved in a variety of off-court projects, including fashion design and acting.

"I definitely do a lot of different things," she said. "I'm not just a tennis player. I don't want to be one of those girls that doesn't have anything to change in to when I'm done with my career.

"I think it's important to have things to fall back on."

Williams lost in the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open to top-ranked eventual champion Justine Henin last month and said the Belgian hit some "lucky shots" to win 7-6, 6-1.