2011 Williams Watch-Big Sis And Little Sis Are Going To Play Some Tennis

Can I call it or what?    When I penned my last Williams watch post concerning the French Open  I had this to say about the prospects of seeing my favorite tennis playing siblings take the court this season: 

'If I had to guess when the Williams sisters plan on making their return to the tennis world, I'd circle June 20 on the calendar.    That's the starting date for their favorite Grand Slam tournament, 'Williams'-don'.    TransGriot   May 17, 2011

Read it and weep tennis world.  Playtime in the women's tennis world is over.  Break out the strawberries and cream, Serena and Venus are coming back.. 

Serena hasn't played since stepping on glass at a Munich restaurant four days after winning the 2010 'Williams'-don tournament and slicing two tendons in her foot.   She underwent two surgeries on that foot, and then was hospitalized in February for a hematoma in her stomach an a pulmonary embolism. 

Her ranking has slid to number 25 in the world since then, but knowing her it won't take her long to get back into the Top Ten.  . 

Venus hasn't played since injuring her hip during the 2011 Australian Open, but is on track to play at Wimbledon as well. 

I call The Championships 'Williams-don because out of all the Grand Slam tournaments, this is the one they have throughly dominated.   They have won nine of the last eleven singles titles and played each other four times for the Venus (Williams) Rosewater Dish.      


They are set to play the Eastbourne grass court tournament that precedes the start of Wimbledon, which begins on June 20-July 3.

2011 Williams Watch-Big Sis and Little Sis Withdraw From French Open

The Williams haters are probably happy about this, but my favorite tennis playing siblings will not be participating in the tennis proceedings over the next two weeks in Paris..

Big Sis and Little Sis have withdrawn from the 2011 French Open which was starting today.    It's the first time since 2003 that neither Serena or Venus will grace Stade Roland Garros with their presence.    Serena just returned to practicing on a regular basis last month after a foot injury and later a serious blood clot blew up the remainder of her 2010 season and took her out of the Australian Open. 

Venus hasn't played since she injured her hip during the 2011 Australian Open

If I had to guess when the Williams sisters plan on making their return to the tennis world, I'd circle June 20 on the calendar.    That's the starting date for their favorite Grand Slam tournament, Williams-don.

Oh by the way tennis world, the venue for next year's Olympic tennis tournament is the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

2011 Williams Watch-Venus Out Of Aussie Open

While Big Sis manged to gut out a three set victory over Sandra Zahlavova despite the injury she suffered in the first set of that match, 48 hours wasn't enough for her to recover from it.

Seven points into the first set of her match with Germany's Andrea Petkovic and trailing 0-1 she was forced to default due to that injury to the muscle that flexes the hip and spinal column. 

.“The last 48 hours, I just did as much pain management as I could,” Venus said. “A lot of times when you play, you get that adrenaline and that blocks pain. I just didn’t get enough of that today. I was hoping for some magic that I could recover.” 

It ended a remarkable streak over her career in which she had never defaulted in a Grand Slam match in addition to ending another quest for her first Australian Open singles title.

Get well Big Sis and hope we see you and Little Sis playing some Grand Slam tennis before the year is out.

2011 Williams Watch-Venus Guts It Out To 3rd Round

Venus began her quest for her first Australian Open singles title with a straight set 6-4, 6-3 win over Sara Errani of Italy and faced 97th ranked Sandra Zahlavova in the second round at Rod Laver Arena.. 

But Zahlavova surprisingly pushed Venus around in that first set helped along by 23 unforced errors and some double faults by Venus to take the first set in a 8-6 tiebreaker.   On set point Big Sis suffered an upper calf injury and took a timeout to get it treated.

When Big Sis came back out of that locker room she opened up a can of Williams whoop azz and blitzed Zahlavova to take the second set 6-0.

The third set was fairly even until Venus broke her to take a 4-3 lead and eventually close out the final set with a 6-4 win and hobble into the third round.

6-7(6-8), 6-0, 6-4.  Big Sis can exhale and get the trainer working on that calf until she faces the winner of the Anne Keothavong- Andrea Petkovic match.
 

2011 Williams Watch-Serena's Out Of The Australian Open

I can say two things for certain as the 2011 Australian Open gets underway.  Serena Williams will not threepeat as its women's singles champion  and the Williams sisters will not repeat as the Australian Open women's doubles champs.

That's because Little Sis is still sidelined with a foot injury that has been slow to heal and will be watching Big Sis from the stands as the action gets underway Down Under at Melbourne Park.

She cut her foot on some broken glass while leaving a Munich restaurant July 7 and the foot required surgery.   She missed the 2010 US Open as a result and is now out of the Australian Open as well.

Venus is still there to represent the Williams family tennis dynasty and keep the Australian Open singles title in the family

But it won't be easy for number five world ranked Big Sis.   She's seeded fourth in this tournament and has current world number one ranked Caroline Wozniacki, Li Na, Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin on her side of the draw just for starters.

However, this is the one Grand Slam tournament that Venus hasn't won in her career, and the only time she was an Australian Open finalist she lost to Little Sis in 2003.     She made it to the quarterfinals before bowing out last year.

So it will be interesting to see what Big Sis does in this 2011 edition of the Australian Open, and I'm hoping that Little Sis will eventually show up, play some tennis and regain her Number One ranking..