DUBAI - Serena Williams was facetiously given the media name of $erena earlier this month after breaking Annika Sorenstam's record for the highest career prize money earned by a female athlete.

This might become $erena William$ if she does well at the Dubai Open starting on Sunday.

The Barclays-sponsored dollar fest pays appearance fees which are widely regarded as the biggest on the WTA Tour. That is in addition to two million dollars prize money which alone is equal to any women's tournament outside of the four Grand Slams.

The younger Williams sister reached 23.5 million pounds prize fund earnings in her 14 years of professional tennis after winning her tenth Grand Slam title last month - and at the age of 27 it would be surprising if Serena did not occasionally look at the best earning opportunities available to her.

So far however Dubai has not been a successful location. She won only two matches during her only previous appearance in 2005, twice having withdrawn through illness or injury, so often her bugbear.

She was also suffering from a throat infection after returning home from winning the Australian Open less than a fortnight ago, bringing fears of more withdrawals.

That has been followed by a far-from-easy schedule, with another ocean crossing to this week's Paris Open, and then an immediate flight to the Persian Gulf - so it is by no means certain that the top-seeded American is the real favorite for the Dubai title.

However there does appear to be a change in Serena, and not merely because she might wish to make the more of the Middle East money-making opportunities while she still can.

"I feel like I have a new career, like I feel so young," she said after winning the US Open in September "I feel so energised to play every week and play every tournament. I feel like there's just so much that I can do in my career yet, and I've never felt like I've played my best tennis."

There were more references to longevity after her Australian Open triumph.

"I really needed that, and I wanted that for me," she said. "You never know what happens in life. I feel like, you know, opportunities sometimes don't present themselves twice."

Little more than a year ago Serena was way down at 81 in the world and, after returning to the world number one ranking after fully five years, it's as if she senses time is not in such plentiful supply as it was.

Sharapova is sometimes spoken of as the woman athlete with the biggest annual income. However the whispers have turned to how long she will still be earning it after delaying her comeback from a very persistent shoulder problem yet again.

The former world number one was to have made the warm weather and luxurious hospitality of Dubai the location of one of her first two tournaments in more than six months - but she is still not fit and withdrew last week.

It was a reminder that Dubai had been an ominous sign of the future for another former world number one, when Justine Henin was beaten by Francesca Schiavone last year. Soon afterwards the Belgian announced her retirement.

Yet another former world number one, Jelena Jankovic, is by contrast likely to be highly motivated. The Serb is the player whom Serena deposed from the number one spot, and is also keen to develop a conviction that she's capable of winning the Grand Slam title which has so far eluded her.

Succeeding in a Dubai field which should contain all of the world's top ten, including Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, might make a significant contribution to that aim.

Possible seeds.-

1. Serena Williams (USA); 2. Dinara Safina (RUS); 3. Jelena Jankovic (SRB); 4. Elena Dementieva (RUS); 5. Vera Zvonareva (RUS); 6. Venus Williams (USA); 7. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS); 8. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)