Serena Williams threw up during Australian Open final

Australian Open champion Serena Williams has revealed that she vomited off court during her victory over Maria Sharapova in the final.

The American, who won the match 6-3 7-6(5), admitted that the incident may even have been beneficial as her chest felt clearer afterwards.

"I ended up throwing up when I left the court," she told Eurosport. "It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me... I think it got everything out of me. I just had to hurl.

"After that I felt better because my chest was free - it took a minute but I felt a little better.

"Gosh - this is going to go down as one of my memories!"

The result marked Sharapova's 16th successive loss to Williams.