Tennis: 31st match between Williams sisters heralds sport’s return to the U.S.
Well, this sure is a fine way for tennis to herald its return after the pandemiccaused hiatus: Serena Williams versus Venus Williams.
The siblings meet each other for the 31st time when they take the court at a WTA tournament in Kentucky on Thursday.
“It’s so special,” Venus said. “Here we go again.”
It’s a chance for the two former No. 1-ranked women and owners of 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them (23 for Serena; seven for her older sister) to gauge where their games are following about six months away from the sport — and a chance for tennis fans to remember what they’ve been missing while the tours were suspended because of the coronavirus.
“I haven’t played in forever, so I want to play the best players,” Venus said with a laugh, then added: “And I think I got my wish in playing Serena.”
So what if there are no spectators allowed at the hard-court event because of the coronavirus outbreak?
So what if it’s happening at a low-key, brand-new tournament, where traffic can be seen driving back and forth on a street behind the court? And so what if it’s merely in the second round, rather than with a trophy at stake?
Sure, all in all, this will be a far way from the sorts of stages that have hosted these two stars in the past, including nine Williams versus Williams matchups in Grand Slam singles finals, including four in a row from 2002-03.
Serena leads the rivalry 7-2 in those contests, and 18-12 overall.
“I feel like I always play Venus in every single tournament, first or second round,” Serena said after putting together a comeback to beat 60th-ranked Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in her opening match and first anywhere since February. “So that’s annoying.”
Actually, it’s been nearly two full years since the sisters’ last meeting, a thirdrounder at the 2018 U.S. Open that Serena won 6-1, 6-2.
There is no way to know how many more of these there will be. Venus turned 40 in June. Serena turns 39 in September. As the Aug. 31 scheduled start of the U.S. Open approaches, this is a chance for the two of them to test themselves and the changes they’ve been making.