SISTER ACT
Venus comeback spurs on Serena as the Williams girls prove age is definitely not a barrier to success
ONE Williams sister was battling away i n the Rod Laver Arena, motivating herself by looking at the scoreboard during changeovers to see how her sister’s comeback was progressing elsewhere. That seemed to do the trick, and by the end both Serena and Venus were into the fourth round of the Australian Open, the first time they have both reached this stage of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2010.
It is no surprise that the younger sibling has got this far, but more notable that Venus is in contention again, because she has not made the second week of a major since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease, in 2011.
It is shaping up to be another remarkable fortnight for the sisters, very late in their careers. In her 35th year, Venus has won eight of eight matches in 2015, dating back to her WTA title win at the Auckland Open. She now faces sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, having recovered from 2-4 down in the second set to overcome Italian Camila Giorgi 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
Serena, 33, who later said she hoped Andy Murray would win the men’s title, also came back to beat Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
The sisters remain a formidable force at an age when so many of their former rivals have departed.
‘We talk about the players we see that aren’t playing any more — we just can’t figure out how we are still here,’ said Venus.
‘When you walk on that court there’s no such thing as age, height, any of that stuff. It’s a matter of can you get the ball in, can you win the point or not? I think everybody we grew up with has moved on, in a mature life. I think our perspective is that we’re still quite good at what we do and while we’re here we’re going to be here — when we’re gone we might watch on TV.’
There is no doubt that they motivate each other, and Serena said that when she was down against Svitolina she saw the score updates of her sister coming from the Margaret Court Arena, and it spurred her on.
‘I’ve been motivated by Serena since day one, she’s always been someone that anyone can learn from,’ added Venus. ‘We’ve had the fortunate relationship to be able to grow from each other. I don’t think I could have done the things I’ve done without her.’
Venus’s ranking has floated between 20 and 50 since she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, but her form this year is already guaranteed to have pushed her up to at least No12.
‘That’s awesome,’ she said. ‘I’ve been trying a long time to get my ranking up. It’s hard to be ranked lower than what you know you are. I’ve won big, it’s not like I haven’t done it before. Is fourth round my goal when I come to these tournaments? No.’
World No 1 Serena now faces Spain’s exciting Garbine Muguruza. This was the player who beat her in the second round of the French Open last year, one of the three prequarter-final defeats in the Grand Slams through 2014.
Serena was delighted that the sister act is back on. ‘It feels good, it means a lot. I saw her score and thought, wow, she’s been through so much with illness, if she can do it I’m perfectly healthy, I’m fine, I should be able to do it, too. It helped me push through.’
Serena also revealed how much of a fan she is of Britain’s Murray. ‘I’m rooting for Andy the whole time,’ she said. ‘I like his attitude, always have, I like how he gets every ball back. I played him recently in mixed doubles in an exhibition [at the Indian Premier Tennis League] and he destroyed me.
‘I have a whole new appreciation for his game, he has great hands.’
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova suffered a surprise exit from the tournament when she was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by 19-year-old American Madison Keys.
At 5-5 in the final set, Keys, coached by three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport, achieved the pivotal break of serve.
She held in the next game, screaming with joy when Kvitova netted a backhand on match point. Keys will now face fellow American Madison Brengle, guaranteeing at least one US player in the quarter-finals.