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Venus Views Rest As Recipe for US Open Success
By Richard Pagliaro
(August 28, 2010) Venus Williams has diminished her workload, but isn't downsizing her US Open dreams. With sister Serena's US Open dreams shattered after suffering mishap with glass, Venus will not defend the US Open doubles title the sisters won last September. The Open is truly wide open without the 13-time Grand Slam champion in the field, but Venus said Serena's absence in singles doesn't change her approach to the tournament.
"I guess as a player, I don't really think of that way," Venus told the media in today's pre-tournament press conference. "I'm just trying to win whoever I play against. It really is as simple as that."
Growing up, Serena says she often tried to emulate her older sister's style both on and off court. She took that obsession so far mother Oracene Price began insisting that Serena order first when the family went out to eat as Serena would mimic Venus' order.
With Serena stepping out of the Open, can Venus step out of her younger sister's shadow and regain the US Open title she last won in 2001?
The third-seeded Venus opens against Italian Roberta Vinci, an ideal opponent as she tries to work her way into form. Williams whipped Vinci, 6-1, 6-4, in their lone prior meeting in Miami earlier this year.
The first round will be Williams' first match since she was on the wrong end of one of the most monumental upsets in Wimbledon history. World No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova masterfully mixed up the pace of her shots in luring Williams into an implosion of errors. By the time the dust had settled, Pironkova pulled off a shocking 6-2, 6-3 conquest of the five-time Wimbledon winner in the quarterfinals.
"Going into the tournament, I didn't have the ideal preparation, but I kind of just had to mentally be ready to play without having played any matches," Williams said. "(I have) gotten to hit balls in the court and get ready and I'm looking forward to next week."
The biggest question Williams faces on the eve of the Open is can she shake the rust off her game after skipping the entire US Open Series with a knee injury and can she make inroads into a major where she has not made the final since 2002 and has only been beyond the quarterfinals once in her last five Flushing Meadows appearances?
Williams says she isn't letting lack of match play get in her head. She joins defending champion Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova as one of four former champions in the field and says experience can be an equalizer.
"I feel good. I feel good mainly because I've played so many matches in my career that I feel like I can bank on the experience," Venus said. "I know how to hit the ball. I feel like I'm hitting pretty clean right now. Plus, you know, theoretically, I've had more rest than everyone. I should be fresh."
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