It’s way too early to predict the outcome of the event, where the world’s most dominant players converge on clay to determine who has what it takes to take the prize. But the sisters are poised to show their stuff — and “behind” in Venus’s case. The elder sister is once again, sporting a non-traditional outfit that makes it look as if she’s bare bottomed. That aside, the focus is on their games, which advanced Venus past the first round of the tournament on Sunday and Serena on Monday. Venus ousted veteran Patty Schnyder 6-3,6-3. Serena took her match with a 7-6,6-2 win over Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele.
Though sitting firmly atop the heap with 8,475 ranking points for Serena and 6,386 for Venus, neither is the favorite to win the tournament. Why? Because clay is their worst playing surface. Serena has been the most dominant player on the tour over the years, but hasn’t made it past the quarter finals at the French Open since she won it in 2002. Venus has suffered the same plight, usually being ousted in the quarter finals. The reason for the Williams’s struggle on the red dirt is the impact that it has on their power game. Clay slows the ball down considerably and patience and strategy become more prominent than on hard courts, which isn’t the Williamses strongest suit.
All things considered, look forward to both of these phenomenal athletes giving their all, as is typical during Grand Slam events. And as an added incentive for V, if she wins it, she can topple little sis and become No. 1 again for the first time since Feb. ’02. –gerald radford
