Venus and Serena close in on sister act
LONDON: Venus Williams is no longer the player she once was, on account of the passage of time and the day-today ups and downs of an energy-sapping condition.
At age 35, 21 years removed from her first professional tournament, Williams still possesses a dangerous serve, along with the muscle memory that comes with seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon.
And so while it is her younger sister Serena who is ranked No.1, has 20 major titles and owns a 23-match Grand Slam winning streak as of Wednesday, the elder Williams is still in the draw at the All England Club, too — and the siblings are closing in on what would be their 26th all-inthe-family match-up on tour.
“She probably comes back here and, you know, I think, she almost feels like this is home,” said David Witt, Venus’ coach. “When you have confidence, you have everything. That’s with any sport. And I guess when she gets here, it’s a confidence thing.”
On the hottest day on record in Wimbledon history, with the temperature topping 35C — and a terrific day for American women — both Williams sisters won second-round matches: 16th seed Venus beat 95th-ranked Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, while top seed Serena defeated 93rd-ranked Timea Babos of Hungary 6-4, 6-1.
Two more wins, and the siblings will meet in the fourth round.
“She poses a big threat for me,” Serena said about Venus.
They pulled out of doubles on Tuesday, citing “soreness” for Serena, who wants to focus on her pursuit of a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title.
After dismissing Babos on Centre Court — where a small electrical fire in a mechanical room set off alarms once play was done for the day — Serena was able to settle in front of a TV to watch Venus finish off Putintseva.
“I always root for Venus,” Serena said. “She’s been through a lot in her career. She’s really playing well.”
So far at Wimbledon, that is certainly true, including a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the first round.
Against Putintseva, Venus’ 29 winners included seven aces, and she reached 197kph on a serve in the final game.
Venus last won the grasscourt Grand Slam tournament in 2008; three years later, she announced that she has Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain and fatigue.
Her nearly two-hour match on Wednesday was the last on Court Three, and wrapped up at about 9pm, by which point it was much cooler than earlier. The Met Office, Britain’s official weather service, said the temperature reached 35.7C at its closest observation site, about 1C higher than the previous tournament record, set in 1976.
Spectators fanned themselves in the stands and used everything from hats to umbrellas to towels for shade. A ball boy collapsed during Isner’s match and was taken away on a stretcher. One player, No.27 Bernard Tomic of Australia, said he felt dizzy during his victory. Others, including Bethanie Mattek-Sands, wrapped towels filled with ice around their necks during changeovers.
“It’s definitely hot, but nothing crazy. We have played in worse. I think it’s just surprising because it’s happening in England, where it usually doesn’t,” Madison Keys said. “We have played through much worse.”