|
|
 |
|
|||
Serena and Venus Williams must say au revoir to Paris. Both were eliminated from the French Open on Tuesday in stunning succession. First Serena, whose serve deserted her in a three-set quarterfinal
against Jennifer Capriati, and then, on Suzanne Lenglen Court,
just 28 minutes later, Venus, who looked lost in a wipeout by
Anastasia Myskina. The sisters came to this Grand Slam to make a tennis statement and a fashion statement. They wanted to prove they were in top form after long layoffs for injuries. They wanted to end the constant questions about how their acting and designing careers have detracted from their athletic careers. Their seedings were upgraded here in an effort to welcome them back to the forefront, but the sibling semifinal everyone was hoping for will not come to pass. Serena was in her fuchsia mode the past week, wearing revealing ensembles and matching headbands and earrings. She said she was rewarding herself with a new purse after each victory. Venus chose Kelly green, and looked forward to visiting museums and boutiques on her off days. They walked on court in their Impressionist colors with high expectations. But it was a gris day of spitting rain, a day better suited for sitting in a cafe nursing a glass of red wine, reading Sartre and contemplating the vastness of the world. RAIN AND ERRORS The Williams sisters never found their groove. The more it rained, the more errors they made. Serena looked frustrated and miffed as Capriati broke her undependable serve to go up 5-3 in the third set. Five points later, Serena slid and fell in the dirt as the French fans barely suppressed cackles. It was another humbling moment at Roland Garros, where she was reduced to tears by the jeering crowd last year. ''I guess it stayed at the hotel,'' Serena said of her forehand. ``I was an amateur today.'' In contrast to Serena's biting self-criticism, Venus seemed stuck in a malaise. Even when it became clear that she needed to switch gears against Myskina, Venus attempted few aggressive shots. At one point she hit an odd, half-hearted half-volley from the baseline long. She showed no fire, only regret, as the games got away from her. It was a big sigh of a match. Oh, well. C'est la vie. But Venus prepared for the French Open with commendable dedication. She was 19-0 on clay. She was the favorite coming in and looked good in her first four matches. She wanted to make this the year of Venus rising to the heights of 2000-2001. ISSUE OF CONFIDENCE The problem exposed when all that progress went kaput against Myskina seems to be in Venus' head. Can she summon the confidence and killer instinct to be a Grand Slam champion again? Serena did not prepare as diligently for the rigors of clay. After pulling out of the Charleston tournament with knee pain, she did a calendar shoot in the Bahamas. She spends her spare time sketching dresses or reading scripts. How much juggling can she do and still hope to reclaim No. 1? We want our athletes to lead balanced lives, but if they're too balanced, we question their drive. ''I have all kinds of different opportunities to be doing different films and different stuff, but I'm here,'' Serena said, her proof that she's not just moonlighting on the tennis court. It must be tempting for a player of Serena's caliber to cherry-pick tournaments. While the rest of the women stick to a relentless schedule, Serena can come back after eight months on the sideline and win the NASDAQ-100. But it's the Slams where the Williams sisters are expected to soar. Their performance here renews doubts about their commitment. Their losses are the French Open's loss. Roland Garros faces a glamour vacuum. Are they back? Will they ever be back? We'll have to wait until Wimbledon, when the questions will begin anew.  Copyright 2006 by BlackAthlete.net, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
||||
