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Venus Williams : 'Moving away from Glory'

By RohitSharma (TennisEarth.com), Submitted On

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Most of us recognize Venus Williams as a five time Wimbledon champion, some even consider her the best server in women's tennis and others simply praise her for being an exceptional ambassador for women's sport. Though for Venus Williams herself, finding an identity, atleast on court, is becoming increasingly difficult.

Most of us recognize Venus Williams as a five time Wimbledon champion, some even consider her the best server in women's tennis and others simply praise her for being an exceptional ambassador for women's sport. Though for Venus Williams herself, finding an identity, atleast on court, is becoming increasingly difficult.

As blatant as it may sound, there is not even a percentage of accusative element in the statement mentioned above and in an effort to present the readers with the reasoning and explanation, let's go back to the late nineties.

2000-01 'A reign to die for' - It was the year 1999 and both Venus and Serena had made it to the semifinal of the championship at Flushing Meadows. Serena had reached the final by defeating Davenport and, including millions of fans, was awaiting, rather expecting 'Venus Williams' to complete the family's dream of an all-Williams final at the native Grand Slam. To everybody's dismay though, a fiesty Martina Hingis cut short Venus' run at the Open and reached the final for the third consecutive year, just to be crushed by Jr. Williams in straight sets. Now Venus, true to form ensured no public display of emotions, although her mother Oracene (Price) later revealed the elder Williams' agony in an interview. " It was a death like loss for Venus. She thought she let everybody down." It was evident from that moment on, Venus carried the burden of high expectations on her shoulders and took little time in meeting them, momentarily atleast. With two Grand Slams next year along with an Olympic Gold, the year 2000 became Venus' year and will perhaps remain the best season in Venus' professional career. Even tennis legend Pete Sampras mentioned in an interview that he envied Venus' dominance at that time.

The year 2001 also continued to be a super success for Williams, who finally came out of little sister's shadow with a win at the US Open final. The year 2002 changed the equations completely though. Serena's rise to super stardom marked by consecutive wins at all four majors, also played host to Venus' fall. During the trophy presentation at Roland Garros in 2002, Venus' unusual display of happiness over little sister's revival at Grand Slams left many fans with huge disappointment. When such unusual emotions are displayed at that high a level of competition, then the sport becomes more or less an exhibition stuff. Perhaps, that set the tone for Williams sisters' destiny that was to be relative to each other for years to come.

The year 2009 may have been eventful for Venus Williams in terms of astonishing performance in Doubles ( won four titles including three Grand Slams, with sister Serena), but her failure to rise to expectations seemed to disappoint fans and critics alike. First came the second round loss at the Australian open, where the American held a 5-2 lead in the decider before succumbing to defeat to Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro and then the Wimbledon final, which was, till this year, considered Venus' courtyard. And to top the list, came the failure to defend the yearend championship title she won ten years after first qualifying for it.

The 'Underdog Comfort-Zone' - Frankly speaking, there is no harm is accepting the fact that Serena is a better player of the two and that Venus' achievements should not be undermined by comparing them to someone who happens to be related to her. The truth of the matter is that above any other hurdle, its the burden of expectations that is insurmountable for Venus Williams. She seems more comfortable being an underdog and finds it comparatively easier to perform minus pressure. In all her major triumphs post 2001, there hasn't been a single slam win that she earned, that was driven by the rage of expectations. In 2005, Venus' win as the 13th seed at Wimbledon created a new record (lowest seed to win Wimbledon ever) at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which was broken two years later by none other than Venus herself, when she won her fourth Wimbledon title as the lowest rank and seed in the draw. Every player has shortcomings that need not surface till stimulated consistently, and so is the case with Venus Williams. Williams' loss to Belgian Kim Clijsters may have been a result of Clijsters exceptional performance coupled with Venus' knee injury, but that certainly can't be taken as an excuse. The point here is not to suspect the American's pressure handling capabilities, bt to highlight the fact that when it comes to performing at her best, the American wants the freedom to think and translte it on-court, no matter what the stage is.

'I want it that way' - There is also an element of stubbornness in Williams' game which opposes the requirement to adapt to a more suitable gameplan during the matches. It becomes quite evident from her style of play which is more about 'winning the point my way' as opposed to simply 'winning the point at any cost'. The innumerable double faults and repetitive forehand errors played with an approach to kiss the lines, thereby ignoring the 'margin-rule' in tennis are some of the testimonials that let the opponents claw their way back into the match even if Venus' lead is quite formidable. Again, this is the same approach that has seen her emerge victorious in so many other occasions.

Venus' entire career has been plagued by injuries, just like any other athlete who makes a conscious attempt to stretch his/her efforts to limits and suffers occasionally as a result. In Venus' case though, this factor has served its purpose to the fullest. For someone whose average serving speed is more than the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, losing serves is quite an aberration. Specially when her other skills include razor sharp backhand with the ability to hit winners while defensive and excellent coverage at the net. Venus is considered by many as the most gifted athlete of her generation.

Hope for a 'Resurgence' - Out of the series of losses this year, Williams' effortless surrender in the Wimbledon final was the one of the most disappointing defeats of her career. Serena Williams' destiny will not change by anyone, neither Venus, nor the Belgians and the same holds true for Venus Williams as well. The woman is equipped with every attribute that is enough for her to re-establish herself as the game's biggest force and that's something every Venus fan is desperately waiting for. The golden era of 2000-01 in Venus' career can only comeback with her own desire to generate the hunger to WIN, whether the hurdle is in the form of an 11 time major champion or the painful set of injuries, VENUS SHOULD RISE AGAIN....!