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Reflections on Wimbledon '02 Past Venus, Serena and Hewitt, there's little to bank onPosted: Sunday July 07, 2002 8:40 PM
Were you to watch only the finals, you’d think that form held up at this year’s Wimbledon. Venus and Serena Williams, the top two seeds met in the ladies’ final. Lleyton Hewitt, the No. 1 male, earned a tidy bookend to his 2001 U.S. Open trophy. Witnessing these victories, it’s tempting to say there’s reasonable order in tennis. And I’ve got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Get past the now-apparent inevitability of these two sisters and, to a lesser degree, the tenacious Hewitt, and there is little you can bank on. For longstanding stars Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, each of whom lost within hours of each other in the second round, the clock ticked way closer to midnight. For competitors with more gallons left in their tanks -– Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo, as well as the injured Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis -– the distance between them and the Williams sisters (sounds like an Ed Sullivan act) grows wider with each Slam. Venus and Serena are the biggest story in tennis, and maybe even all of sports. Imagine Barry Bonds’ brother also hitting 50 dingers, or Tiger Woods’ sibling breathing down his neck on the 16th hole at Augusta. Though others will emerge to challenge them –- my money’s on Daniela Hantuchova – they still require more seasoning. Serena’s Wimbledon victory was a technical triumph. Her shorter, more efficient strokes allow her to hit the ball earlier than Venus, hence robbing her older sister of the recovery time that makes her such a good counterpuncher. For years, Richard Williams has opined that Venus would become a Martina Navratilova-like serve-and-volley player. But this hasn’t surfaced much in Venus’ winning years. To overtake Serena, she must diversify her game, primarily by using her massive wingspan to take charge at the net. In this sense, she and Serena have the potential -– just like Navratilova and Chris Evert -– to force each other into improvements. Their love for each other may help mitigate the loneliness at the top that can devour the insides of a tennis player. On the men’s side, Hewitt may not be as physically dominant as the sisters. But while others likely will edge into his empire, there hasn’t been as mentally and emotionally compelling a men’s champion since Jimmy Connors. It makes Hewitt a crowd-pleasing player, a scrapper who takes punches and responds in kind. With many men rising and falling like thugs in a spaghetti Western at this year’s Wimbledon (only two of the top 16 seeds reached their appointed rounds), Hewitt proved the most resilient of gunslingers. Go ahead, make his day. |
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