Serena Williams: 'I don't need a Grand Slam to define my career'

Serena Williams embodies big-match intensity.

She might lose to unknowns in lesser events and occasionally stumble in the early rounds at majors. But almost never when it counts the most.

In Grand Slam singles and doubles finals, Williams is a ridiculous 33-4 (20-4 and 13-0) — not to mention 4-0 in Olympic gold medal matches.

Yet her mindset as the top seed heading into Wimbledon on Monday — where she can win a fourth consecutive major and keep alive her quest for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years — could not be more blasé.

If you take her at her word.

"I don't think that's going to define my career or make or break it," the No. 1-ranked American said.

In an exclusive interview this month at her Paris pied-a-terre two days after beating Lucie Safarova to win her third French Open and 20th major overall, Williams pooh-poohed the milestone on everyone's mind.

She is 14 matches away. Steffi Graf, in 1988, was the last player to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in a single season. No player has captured the first two legs since Jennifer Capriati 2001.

Williams, 33, said it would have preoccupied her in seasons past, but she has become so comfortable with her place in history, it matters little.

"I don't know how this sounds, but it's not on top of my list," she said, still sniffling from the flu-like illness that nearly derailed her run in Paris. "My list right now is to do well at Wimbledon. And then my list is to do well at the U.S. Open. And then Australia."

Williams, clad in shorts and an orange-and-white top with her Yorkshire terrier, Chip, nestled in her arms, added:

"I don't really think, nor am I overly concerned, about winning a Grand Slam at this stage of my career. I think five years ago — yeah. Ten years ago, yeah it might have. Now I've got enough. I don't need a Grand Slam to define my career whereas maybe a few years ago if I didn't have 20 Grand Slams then I would have needed that."

It makes sense that Wimbledon remains her immediate focus. The five-time champion has stumbled lately on grass. She lost to Sabine Lisicki in the round-of-16 in 2013 and to Alize Cornet in the third round last year.

"I haven't done well there in a while," she said. "I had done well for so long in the beginning of my career, and now it's just been like kinda shaky."

Still, Williams doesn't act like she's simply icing her career cake.

Though she is 32-1 in 2015, many of her matches have been drama-filled episodes where she has fallen behind, looked far from her best, and then lifted to another level and willed herself to victory.

She has bellowed "C'mons!", littered courtside mikes with F-bombs, and pleaded to the heavens and to her box, all in an effort to get her came on track.

Pam Shriver, the ESPN analyst, said Williams is probably of both minds.

"Athletes are gifted at taking bits of pressure off," said the former top-three player from Baltimore. "I don't disbelieve her, but I think deep down she wants to be one of the few players to go down with the calendar-year Slam."