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Venus insists losing is 'never fun,' even to Serena

Venus slams tour schedule MELBOURNE, Jan 25 (Reuters) -- Venus Williams launched an attack on the "unreasonable" demands of the WTA Tour schedule after losing 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 to younger sister Serena in the Australian Open final on Saturday. "I think that the tour is too long. It's impossible to expect people to be able to play 11 months out of the year," said the world No. 2 after losing her fourth consecutive Grand Slam final to Serena. "[It's] not just the matches, but when you go home. If you're not training, you're going to lose when you do go out to play." "It's unreasonable in my opinion. If you don't play a tournament, people are yelling and screaming this and that. I won't push myself to any level I feel I can't achieve personally." Reacting to the comments made by Kim Clijsters's father Leo, who said his 19-year-old daughter could quit tennis in three years because of the hectic tour schedule, she added: "I think it's an interesting comment. Obviously as a father, he's concerned about his daughter, and with good reason." Venus played 16 tournaments in 2002, winning seven. Asked if the loss of Clijsters, who pushed Serena to the limit in the semifinals in Melbourne, would be a blow to tennis, Venus said: "When players are off the tour or have a little injury, it gets to be that you miss playing them, especially if they are at the top." Venus also held out hope that Martina Hingis would return to the game after her recent run of ankle injuries. "I hope she comes back also. I mean, I haven't played her in I don't know how long. I just think she needs, probably, a break," said Venus. "She's been playing since she was 14, non-stop, more tournaments than I could imagine to enter." Serena, whose victory over Venus made her only the fifth woman to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once, backed up her big sister. "Last year I played only 13 [tournaments]. I never kill myself with the tournaments. My whole theory is to take care of me," said Serena, who won eight WTA titles in 2002.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Venus Williams sat and contemplated a fourth straight loss to little sister Serena in a Grand Slam final. A few feet from her on the table sat the Australian Open trophy, another major prize that had eluded her.

"I don't want to be the player that won four or five Grand Slams, whether she wins five or 15," the older Williams said after her sibling had completed her "Serena Slam" with a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 win in a tense, error-filled women's final on Saturday.

The trophy had stayed in the family but for Venus, also beaten by Serena in the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals last year, it was another devastating loss.

Like her sister, Venus wants to be remembered among the all-time greats. She knows she needs to start winning the big ones again.

"When you look at the great players who have won 20 and all those kind of numbers, I still have a long way to go and not much time," Venus said.

"I started a little late. So I have to start racking them up somehow."

Venus still has four major titles -- the 2000 and 2001 Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles -- while Serena has edged one ahead with her victory here.

In addition to her three wins last year, she also was the first of the sisters to collect a Grand Slam title, winning the 1999 U.S. Open.

The pair clashed for a record fourth straight time in a Grand Slam final Saturday. It marked the first time in more than 100 years of Grand Slam tournament history that two women have met in the championship matches at four consecutive majors.

World No. 1 Serena, at 21 a year younger than her sister, became only the fifth woman to hold all four of tennis' major championships at the same time, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1994.

But it was her own place in history, and not Serena's, that was on Venus' mind in the aftermath of another defeat.

"They're all not fun to lose. This one isn't any different," the elder Williams said after a final played under cover when the center court roof was closed due to extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit).

"I don't like losing altogether, if it's [to] Serena or any other player. It's just never fun," Venus added.

Both players struggled to find the range with their booming groundstrokes, especially off the forehand side. They committed a total of 106 unforced errors between them.

Venus made four straight errors in the final game to surrender, having also double-faulted at important times. Both patted each other on the back and hugged at the net after the 2-hour, 22-minute match.

Venus said her sister had "played really well and made me hit a lot of balls" but added that she had "backed off my game."

"I wasn't nearly as aggressive as I was in my other matches," Venus added.

She said her sister now had the momentum with her and knew what she had to do to try and even the balance.

"She was a little mentally tougher out there than I was today," Venus said.

"I think that's maybe the main thing that's dropped off in me. Usually, I would just really get in there and take a match like that.

"I'm going to work on it, I'm going to fight and I'm going to concentrate."

Serena, however, disputed the statement.

"Most of my ideas and everything, I actually get from her," she said. "Most of my fight and courage I've gotten from Venus. So I don't know if that statement is true."

In all the sisters have now played 11 times, with Serena leading 6-5. But battles between the sisters rarely have lived up to expectations under obviously tense circumstances.

On Saturday, Serena questioned line calls and at times threw her racket as they fought for control.

"That's fine, she's always questioning calls and yells and slams her racket," said Venus. "I'm more or less the one that's silent.

"She has to see me as an opponent. These are major championships at stake. This is history, a career," she added. "When we look back we want to be legends and go into the hall of fame."

Did she have a sense of what Serena had achieved?

"Not many people get all four slams, so that's really wonderful," Venus said.

Earlier, on court she told the crowd: "I wish I could have been the winner but, of course, you have a great champion in Serena and she's won all four Grand Slams, which is something I would love to do one day ... just kinda be just like her."

Serena's sights are now set on this year's remaining majors, but she warned: "Venus might have an unbelievable year and win the next three."

Whatever happens, it seems the Williams' regard them as private property.

 

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