The sisters have won nine of the last 11 Wimbledons between
them. Their arrival in Eastbourne this week is understandably the talk of the
town. Serena, the 13-time grand slam champion, is playing for the first time in
nearly a year, and Venus returns after a five-month layoff.
Seven of the world's top 10 players are also here, but the
spotlight is elsewhere. Vera Zvonareva was asked this week if she was happy the
focus was off her, as it would normally be on her as the top seed.
“I think Serena and Venus, they deserve the attention they
get, because they're great champions,” Zvonareva said. “They have done a lot
for women's tennis. They have done a lot not only for tennis, for women's sport
in general.” Zvonareva lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final last
year, a match which would turn out to be Williams' last for almost a year. The
No. 3-ranked Russian has reached two grand slam finals without winning one. The
No.
1, Caroline Wozniacki, is also without a major, and most
recently crashed out in the third round of the French Open.
Li Na's win at Roland Garros hinted at a Chinese boom in the
future for women's tennis, but for now, the expectation appears to be that
Serena will reclaim her throne.
The 29-year-old American's record backs up that expectation.
The 28-year-old Kim Clijsters has won the other two grand slam tournaments
since Serena's injury.
Serena has a 7-2 record against Clijsters, and 5-1 against
Li.
Almost as soon as she uttered “Serena's back,” the younger
Williams sister was installed as one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title.
Nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova believes it
is too much to expect Serena to lift the trophy this year.
“It's like betting on a horse which you haven't see run for
a year - but she's an amazing horse,” she said. “Both the Williams sisters are
such an unknown at Wimbledon this year, they could be in the finals or they
could go out in the second round. I don't see them winning.” Navratilova also
backed Li to prosper at Wimbledon. Like Zvonareva, Li says she is delighted to
see Venus and Serena back.
“Of course (it's) good for the fans,” she said. “I think
many fans missed them already. And also I was so happy after (their) injury
they will come back. Always tough. You have to be mentally so strong (playing
them). So I was happy they are coming back now.” Only Francesca Schiavone has
been prepared to acknowledge that the sisters' return “makes it tough for
everybody,” but the 2010 French Open champion said it could spur on the rest of
the players.
“It's great to have them back, I think not just for tennis
but for us,” she said. “They are champions, they are great athletes. They come
back, it's tough, it's tough for everybody but it's interesting because when
you play with the big athletes, personally I like the fight, to give the best
to win. It's great.” During a packed news conference on Monday, Serena
described how the blood clots on her lung, which resulted from a cut to her
foot, had threatened her career, and even her life.
“I was literally on my deathbed,” she said, before later
joking that she was glad her physio persuaded her to go to hospital to
investigate her breathing problems instead of the party she planned to attend
that night.
Andy Roddick is in no doubt that Serena's return is not just
a boost for women's tennis, but the game as a whole.
“I think I speak for most people in tennis in saying you
want her in the game for so many reasons,” he said at Queen's last week. “Not
only because she wins and she's a great champion but because she brings pop
culture to tennis.
“No disrespect to any of the other women that are playing
right now but I think women's tennis needs that dominating figure.”
