Players cheer Williams duo's return
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The return of Venus and Serena Williams has been widely welcomed by tennis fans, and even with Wimbledon just around the corner, their fellow players are adamant they feel the same way.
The sisters have won nine of the last 11 Wimbledons between them. Their arrival in Eastbourne this week is understandably the talk of the town. Serena, the 13-time grand slam champion, is playing for the first time in nearly a year, and Venus returns after a five-month layoff.
Seven of the world's top 10 players are also here, but the spotlight is elsewhere. Vera Zvonareva was asked this week if she was happy the focus was off her, as it would normally be on her as one of the top seeds.
"I think Serena and Venus, they deserve the attention they get, because they're great champions," Zvonareva said. "They have done a lot for women's tennis. They have done a lot not only for tennis, for women's sport in general."
Zvonareva lost to Serena in the Wimbledon final last year, a match which would turn out to be Williams' last for almost a year. The No. 3-ranked Russian has reached two grand slam finals without winning one. The No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, is also without a major, and most recently crashed out in the third round of the French Open.
Li Na's win at Roland Garros hinted at a Chinese boom in the future for women's tennis, but for now, the expectation appears to be that Serena will reclaim her throne.
The 29-year-old American's record backs up that expectation. The 28-year-old Kim Clijsters has won the other two grand slam tournaments since Serena's injury. Serena has a 7-2 record against Clijsters, and 5-1 against Li.
Almost as soon as she uttered "Serena's back," the younger Williams sister was installed as one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title.
Nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova believes it is too much to expect Serena to lift the trophy this year.
"It's like betting on a horse which you haven't see run for a year - but she's an amazing horse," she said. "Both the Williams sisters are such an unknown at Wimbledon this year, they could be in the finals or they could go out in the second round. I don't see them winning."
Navratilova also backed Li to prosper at Wimbledon. Like Zvonareva, Li says she is delighted to see Venus and Serena back. "Of course (it's) good for the fans," Li said. "And also I was so happy after (their) injury they will come back. Always tough. You have to be mentally so strong (playing them)."
Only Francesca Schiavone acknowledged that the sisters' return "makes it tough for everybody," but the 2010 French Open champion said it could spur on the rest of the players.
