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Venus is reborn

By GARY SHELTON
Published July 1, 2005

These were not the lips that have smiled for the cameras. This time, the lips were tight and the teeth were bared. It was the mouth of a predator, and it could not wait to taste blood.

These were not the eyes that have reflected the spotlight. This time, the eyes were narrow and hard. They were the eyes of a gunslinger, and they could see only a tennis ball.

This was not the celebrity who has turned her life over to television. This time, the sweat was real and the game mattered. She was an athlete again, and nothing mattered more than the point at hand.

Venus Williams turned back time Thursday. She was no longer 25, no longer distracted by celebrity. Her legs were fast again, and her mind was focused. The power and precision that once defined her had returned. She was powerful, she was precise and her purpose was to show the game has not passed her by.

Remember back when Venus was vicious?

It looked a lot like this.

Beneath cloudy skies on Centre Court, in a semifinal that felt like a final, Williams blew away defending champion Maria Sharapova, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1. Just like that, the planets had realigned, and once again, Venus ruled the universe. It was 2002 again, when Williams was the No.1 player in the world and Sharapova was a 15-year-old who purchased, rather than posed for, her magazines.

This level of tennis was supposed to be beyond her, wasn't it? She is ranked 16th in the world, seeded 14th in the tournament, and neither designation seemed unfair. To watch Venus these days is to notice all the bites taken out of her ability by her injuries, her age, her distractions. She seemed more celebrity than competitor, and when you considered the upcoming reality show featuring her and her sister, she seemed as far away from a trophy as Ozzie Osbourne is from a gold record.

Then came this stunning performance. Venus served well, she ran well and she hit ground strokes as if her goal was to knock blood from the ball. It was as if all of her power, all of her perspective, returned at once, and by sheer force she turned Sharapova from the second-best player in the world to the second-best player on the court.

How long has it been since we have seen this sort of efficiency from Venus? Former player Tracy Austin, commenting for the BBC, suggested it has been 21/2 years.

"Tell Tracy Austin it's been more like five years," said Richard Williams, Venus' dad.

How happy was Richard to see it all? Happy enough to pull a thin black cigarette out of a green pack, stick it into his mouth the wrong way and light the filter. Happy enough to repeat, as he has all tournament, that this tournament was going to belong to Venus no matter whom she has to face in the finals (rain delayed the other semifinal with Lindsay Davenport ahead of Amelie Mauresmo in the third set, 5-3).

It has been a while, Richard admits, since he saw his daughter play this confidently. Before the tournament, he talked to her about getting her head up during her serve, about keeping it up.

For those who have criticized the Williams sisters, this will do. No one begrudges celebrity, not as long as it comes with ferocity. Michael Jordan made a lot of commercials, too, but once he was on the court, there was a look to him that made you forget about how he spent his days off. It was obvious the game mattered more than the frills.

Venus had that same look Thursday. Every stroke, every point seemed to matter. Faced with an opponent who could return her serve, who could hit deeper and harder than she could, it was Sharapova who wilted.

It is not too much to demand this sort of focus from Venus, from Serena or, for that matter, from Sharapova. For too many players, women's tennis has turned into a stepping stone where a player spends a few seasons before graduating to something with considerably less sweat.

"I put tennis first in my life," Venus said. "I wake up in the morning, go to practice, go to the gym. The other things that I do are because they make me happy. I think it complements my tennis."

For once, it looked that way. This was not a match between a designer and a fashion model comparing the bad advice they had been given. It was a match between competitors, and it was refreshing to see.

As far as bad advice, Richard Williams thinks Sharapova received a large dose. Sharapova kept serving to Venus' forehand, and Venus in turn spread the ball around and kept her opponent on the run. Had she hit to Venus' backhand, he said, most of the balls would have come back down the middle. Furthermore, Richard said, Yuri Sharapov, Maria's father, distracted her by talking to her throughout the second set "in whatever language they speak." Not one to tolerate oppressive tennis fathers, that Richard.

As for Sharapova, she will have to endure another difficult Russian winter in Bradenton before she gets another shot. She, too, vows that the cameras will not distract her. She says she will get stronger, better.

"I will do everything I can," she said. "I'm obviously very sad. This tournament means a lot to me, more than any other tournament. I guess there are many more years to come."

And for Venus?

If she plays like this, if she focuses like this, if it matters like this, then she has some titles still in her. Whether she can be No.1 again, whether she can instill fear the way she once did, remains to be seen.

For instance, there is still celebrity to deal with. For a while, Venus made you forget about that Thursday.

Then came the winning points, and moments later her sister Lyndrell was bounding down the steps.

"This is going to be good for the reality show!" Lyndrell shrieked.

Even on a day of perspective, it seems, not all the Williams sisters grasped the concept.

[Last modified July 1, 2005, 01:23:13]