Serena Williams resumes her winning ways in tennis

By: George Hardin

SportsBeat

Serena Williams

Serena Williams has made a brilliant comeback in winning the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif., Sunday. She had been sidelined for almost a year because of foot operations and blood clots in her lungs—events that put her career in jeopardy. It was her first title since she won the Wimbledon in 2010

Williams defeated three of the four semifinalists before surging past Marion Bartoli7-5, 6-1 at Stanford University. It was revenge of a sort because Bartoli beat Williams, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, at Wimbledon this year. A 13-time major champion, Williams moved past two breaks in the first set to claim her victory. She said she’s glad to be back in the game and hopes to move up to a single-digit number from her position now in the top 80, moving up from 169th because of her victory.

It was Williams’ best performance this year in the longest-running women only professional tennis tournament in the world. Now in its 41st year, the tournament is the first event leading up to the Olympus U.S. Open Series.

Venus Williams is one of the past champions of the Bank of the West Classic. Venus has been nursing a hip injury, which has kept her off the courts. The prospect of the sisters playing against each other in the WTA Tour event that begins Aug. 6 in Toronto is still likely. Venus is 31 and Serena is nearing her 30th birthday, Sept. 26.

Some experts are saying the sisters are nearing the end o their best playing days. But Venus told a reporter recently, "I feel like I’m a talented player and I have the experience, and that makes me more confident even when it seems I shouldn’t be as confident as everyone else in the field. People have realized how valuable it is to play into your late 20s and 30s. You really understand the game. And it’s just about staying fit and healthy."

The sisters’ standing shows once again the path their father chose was a wise one. Richard Williams became his young daughters’ main coach after tennis academies in Compton, Calif., were not willing to accept them. Williams was denounced by some coaches and columnists who said he was ignorant because he was not highly educated. But his teaching was not one-sided. He told his daughters, "Education is power, not chasing around some tennis ball."

His coaching techniques were ridiculed by those who said he should let experts teach them because he was hindering his daughters rather than helping them. He responded by rebuffing his critics in strong language and expressing indifference to the mainstream tennis world.

Williams also coached his neighbors’ children in Compton, but none of them reached the upper pinnacles of tennis like his daughters.