Serena perks up after coffee break

Lethargic and jetlagged, Serena Williams decided a coffee might give her a boost after losing her first set 6-0 at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, on Monday.

It did the trick.

Williams recovered to beat Flavia Pennetta 0-6,6-3,6-0 on a scorching day and John Isner followed up with a 5-7, 7-5,7-6(4) win over Fabio Fognini to give the US a 2-0 lead over Italy in their Group A match at the mixed team tournament.

Williams later joked it was "miracle coffee."

"I was just feeling it, so I just had to get some coffee into me, "Williams said." I just asked them to get me a shot of espresso-I asked them if it was legal, because I've never done it before. I needed to wake up."

The top-ranked Williams said the round-robin nature of the Hopman Cup took some pressure off her ahead of the Australian Open later this month, and she was also heeding some advice from her father, Richard.

"My dad says, 'Serena, you've done everything, enjoy yourself, I promise you'll play better,' "Williams was quoted as saying after the match." So I'm like, 'OK'.I'm trying to relax a bit more and play how I know I can play."

Associated Press