Serena Williams channels Superwoman as she chases down phone thief

Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is not a wise choice of a robbery target, as one would-be thief discovered when he tried to swipe the tennis star's phone.

Serena wants other women to have the confidence to stand up to bullies Credit: PA

Williams had been eating at a Chinese restaurant when a man who was hovering near her table caught her eye.

She kept watch on him and her suspicions were proved to be correct.

"When least expected low and behold this common petty thief grabbed my phone and swiftly left." Williams commented on Facebook.

"I looked at the chair, than shouted 'Omg that dude took my phone!!'" she added.

Despite taking the rest of the year off to recover from injury, that didn't stop Williams "leaping over a chair or two" and sprinting after the thief.

She asked him in a "no-nonsense voice" whether he had taken the wrong phone by mistake. "He stumbled on his words probably not expecting this to happen. While he was thinking of the right thing to say and eventually he said 'Gosh you know what I did!'" Williams explained.

Serena's post on Facebook has attracted over 56,000 likes Credit: Facebook/Serena Williams

Williams attributed her success to her rigorous training schedule keeping her fighting fit, and hailed the incident a "win for the ladies."

"Just because you are a lady don't be afraid to step up to any challenge and not be a victim but a hero!" Wlliams added on Facebook.