National Football League

Serena backing Giants in Super Bowl

Published Jan. 31, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

From the heart of Patriots country, Serena Williams is cheering for the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

''I always root for the younger brother,'' she said Tuesday at a news conference for this weekend's Fed Cup matches between the United States and Belarus.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be going for his second NFL title; his brother, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, is five years older and has won one Super Bowl. Serena Williams is 15 months younger than her sister and Fed Cup teammate, Venus.

The Americans will face Belarus and new world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the first round of the Fed Cup this weekend in Worcester, Mass. At the news conference, each member of the American team (minus Venus Williams) picked a Super Bowl winner.

Christina McHale and captain Mary Joe Fernandez also took the Giants. Liezel Huber picked the Patriots, though she didn't recognize Chad Ochocinco's No. 85 jersey she was given to hold up. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Ochocinco has 15 catches and one touchdown while seeing little playing time during New England's Super Bowl run.

''He danced well on `Dancing with the Stars,'' Fernandez told her.

Serena Williams took the Giants, but that wasn't really her first choice.

''I was rooting for the Dolphins,'' she said. ''We didn't do so well.''