"More than likely my hand must have been oily and sweaty, that's just not me, God" -When Serena Williams joked about racquet smash in Miami Open final

Serena Williams once joked about breaking her racquet in the final, saying that her hands must have been oily and sweaty.

The American entered the 2008 edition of the Sony Ericsson (now known as the Miami Open) as the eighth seed and registered wins over Edina Gallovits, Flavia Pennetta, Kaia Kanepi, Justine Henin and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In the final, she faced Jelena Jankovic and beat her 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in an encounter during which she smashed her racquet.

Williams was asked about it in her post-match press conference and she responded by asking if it was indeed her who smashed the racquet.

"I smashed a racquet? Oh, my God. Really? You sure it was me?" the American said.

Williams joked that her hands must have been oily and sweaty.

"Oh, my gosh. Okay. Well, I guess maybe more than likely my hand must have been really oily and sweaty. That just doesn't, like you said, that's just not me. God," the American said.

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Serena Williams won eight titles at the Miami Open

Serena Williams with the Miami Open trophy in 2015

Serena Williams is the most successful competitor in the history of the Miami Open with eight titles to her name.

The American's first victory in the tournament came in 2002 when she did not drop a single set, beating Jennifer Capriati 7-5, 7-6(4) in the final. She successfully defended her title in 2003 and 2004 with wins over Capriati and Elena Dementieva in the respective finals.

Her fourth title in the Florida tournament came in 2007 when she made a remarkable comeback to defeat Justine Henin 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. The American's victory in 2008 over Jelena Jankovic in the final was her fifth tournament win in the WTA 1000 event.

Williams' sixth title in Miami came in 2013 when she triumphed over Maria Sharapova in the final. She had another successful title defense in 2014 when she did not drop a single set. This time, she got the better of Li Na in the final.

Serena Williams' last tournament win in Miami came in 2015 when she thrashed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 in the final. Her final appearance in the WTA 1000 event came in 2019 when she was seeded tenth. Williams reached the third round before withdrawing from the tournament due to an injury.

Serena also had two runner-up finishes at the Florida tournament in 1999 and 2009, when she was beaten by her sister Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka in the respective finals.