Venus is a real threat, says Serena
DEFENDING champion Serena Williams believes her surname will adorn the Wimbledon trophy again this year, but can’t guarantee whether it will be her ord elder sister Venus who will be victorious.
The sisters both came into the Championships extremely short of matches after injury and illness, with Serena having been out of action for almost a year.
Both suffered blips in the opening stages but the third round showed the duo in ominous form, though, with Venus thrashing Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-0, 6-2 and Serena making light work of Maria Kirilenko to win 6-3, 6-2.
Serena said of the five-time champion Venus: “She seems way more confident and she’s playing way more confident. That’s obviously in turn inspiring me. She’s working really hard and doing really well.”
Serena next faces a tough assignment against ninth seed Marion Bartoli, who is showing her best form since a surprise run to the final at Wimbledon four years ago.
The Frenchwoman reached the semi-finals at the French Open and then won the title in Eastbourne and said of the sisters: “With Serena or Venus, you have to step up, especially here at Wimbledon. She [Serena] is the ultimate competitor. You never count her out of a match.
“I saw her in Eastbourne and it was the first match she played in almost 12 months, and she was 6-1 down in the first set and somehow she found a way to win. She always seems to find a solution when it matters the most.”