Is this going to be the most boring French Open ever? It is true that the sisters only have one singles and two doubles prizes in that particular championship but without them a women’s tournament seems empty. Even the champion knows that they are not really successful unless they have beaten a Williams’s sister along the way. If you can beat them consecutively in one tournament then you will join the annals of the tennis greats. Players such as Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have managed this feat. They are rightly celebrated for having conquered (at least temporarily) the most dominant tennis family ever.
Injuries are robbing tennis of its stars
Serena Williams is recovering from a freak accident that involved a broken glass. She then suffered a pulmonary embolism. Venus Williams has not been the same since 2008. She has suffered from dizzy spells during critical matches and had to pull out of the Australian Open in January. Now we hear that both sisters will not be going to Paris next week. That is a great shame especially if you consider the news that Kim Clijsters will be entering the tournament without too much practice. The European contingent will be hoping for a Maria Sharapova comeback to take over the title that has eluded her so far. Nevertheless watching that great player on clay shows you that she has very little chance of winning it unless the other players are sleeping. She was never a great mover on any court but on clay it becomes an epic disaster.
Caroline Wozniacki is ranked as the current number one player but everyone knows that a fit Serena would pummel her into oblivion within less than an hour. The Williams sisters have shown that they are capable of humbling anyone regardless of how much practice they have put in. There was a time when Justine Henin was being hyped until Serena crushed her in Miami. She soon retired (albeit temporarily). Few people can forget the number that was done on Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in 2007. You could see that there was absolutely nothing the poor girl could do to tackle the imperious power of her opponent. Even the usually reserved Venus has been known to humiliate a “Sharapova” once in a while. That queenly gaze disguises a ferocious first serve that can challenge Rafael Nadal’s statistics (he is the top ranked male player). Dinara Safina will not easily forget the beating she suffered in 2009 when Venus took her to a grass court “execution”.
The Williams Sisters are also fascinating for the fact that they appear not to take tennis very seriously. They can go off on long injury breaks and then come back and beat everyone. They can save match points and then reach the final only to play a flawless match. Serena has been known to win a match in an almost stationary position. Venus will be “killing” you on the court and yet appear to be regally unconcerned about the proceedings. In fact there was a picture of her yawning in the stands prior to coming out and crushing some poor girl. The absence of these girls on the tour is to be regretted. They may not be universally popular but at least they bring excitement to an otherwise courtly game.
