Venus Williams believes her blistering path to her fifth Wimbledon final is the perfect response to the army of critics who had written her off as a spent force.
The 25-year-old American ruthlessly destroyed defending champion Maria Sharapova 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 in Thursday’s semifinal with a brutal display of power-hitting that was aimed at her detractors as much as the Russian.
For two years, numerous obituaries have been composed for Venus and sister Serena with their vast array of other interests, as well as an alleged falling out of love with the game, cited as causes of their decline.
But Venus, the champion here in 2000 and 2001, rammed those words back down their throats to reach her fifth Wimbledon final.
”I put tennis first in my life. I wake up in the morning, go to practice, go to the gym, train and give my best effort,” she said.
”The other things that I do make me very happy. They complement my tennis and make me work harder because I realise it’s not easy in the real world.”
Saturday’s final will be her first in a Grand Slam since she lost to her sister here in 2003.
It also means that for the sixth year in a row, there will be a Williams sister in the Wimbledon title match.
In the last two years, Venus’s ranking slumped as she battled a stomach injury, went over 12 months without a title until she clinched the inaugural tournament in Istanbul in May and then suffered a humiliating third round loss to 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva in the third round of the French Open.
But she insists she never gave up hope of reaching another Grand Slam final.
”There were times when I was disappointed in how I played because I knew I could do better. But all things in good time. Everyone has their moment in the sun,” she said.
Williams, who will face either Lindsay Davenport or Amelie Mauresmo in the final, also believes she is back to her fittest and healthiest in a long time.
”I was fairly healthy at the French Open, but I did have a shoulder problem from April so I couldn’t really serve properly. That threw my game off.
”But being healthy gives me the opportunity to train. All last year I never had the opportunity to prepare properly because I was never quite healthy.
”I probably made a lot of bad decisions to play tournaments, but that’s in the past now.
”I have had the opportunity this year to gather strength, find a rhythm and train. In 2004, I didn’t have that chance. I would be in practice and say: ‘OK, today I’ve got to work on serves first because I’m probably not going to last longer than an hour out
there’.
”Everyone has their trials and tribulations.” – Sapa-AFP