Venus Williams - Australian Open Women's Tennis Players
Venus Williams has not had a happy time of it as an Australian Open women's tennis player. Although she can boast an incredible 14 Grand Slam titles, for both singles and doubles, the reigning Wimbledon champion has, only once, reached the finals of the Australian Open, in 2003.
Australian Open
Women's Tennis Player Report Card:
- In 2002 she managed to get as far as the quarterfinals, before bowing out of the event.
- Sister, Serena, beat her convincingly at the Australian Open 2003 final, in three sets.
- In 2004 she was seeded no. 3 for the tournament, but lost to Lisa Raymond in the third round.
- Alicia Molik was her nemesis at the 2005 event, knocking Venus out in the fourth round.
- In 2006 she lost in the first round to Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7.
- She withdrew from the 2007 Open due to a recurring wrist injury.
Can 2008 be the year that 27-year-old Venus Williams silences her critics and takes the elusive Australian Grand Slam title? Why not browse William Hill for all the latest on tennis betting and see what the odds are that Venus will walk away with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy.
Currently ranked at no. 9, Venus Williams has not played her best tennis in the past couple of years. A family tragedy occurred in late 2003, in which her elder sister, Yetunde Price, died. Since then both the Williams sisters have been plagued by injury and a reported lack of commitment. The dominant era of Venus and Serena Williams was at an end.
The only recent Grand Slam success has been on grass. Venus, seeded no.23 for the tournament, clinched her fourth Wimbledon title in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. In doing so, she beat her own record set in 2005, as the lowest women's seed to win the championship.
With her 4th success at Wimbledon, she joins an elite group of tennis champions, comprising Steffi Graaf, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. She has ended the 2007 Grand Slam season with a semifinal defeat at the US Open, by Justine Henin.
Venus Williams, like Serena, is known for her power game. She holds the record for the fastest serve recorded at 129mph. Does she have the finesse and intelligence to beat world no. 1 Justine Henin? Can she out-grunt and out-gun Maria Sharapova? Will she cause an upset by defeating no. 3 Jelena Jankovic, or, will it be another family tussle between the two sisters yet again?
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