Why Venus Williams Should Win the 2009 Australian Open

Red-eyed and groggy—yes, the Australian Open is underway. Tennis fans located in the United States suffer with sleep deprivation and nervous energy. Anxious for the next slate of matches to begin, we barely recover from the previous day’s highlights before we are hard at it again.

Yesterday I picked my dark horse on the men’s side—Giles Simon the No. 6 seed. Today I am picking the women’s No. 6 seed also as my dark horse, although on the women’s side, the top players do not stand out in bas-relief, as they do on the men’s. 

Venus Williams comes into the Australian Open seeded sixth. At age 28, she is one of the oldest in the field. Reflecting, it seems Venus has been around forever. 

She turned professional at age 14 in 1994 and was an immediate sensation, quickly drawing media attention to a new power game. To date she has won seven grand slams in singles, five Wimbledon and two U.S. Open titles. 

The Australian Open, however, is a slam she has never won. She reached the semifinals in 2001, losing to Martina Hingis, 6-1, 6-1. In 2003 she reached the finals and faced her sister Serena, losing, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.

Venus Williams is rangy with long legs and a stoic reaction to aggression. Well over six feet tall, she has an incredible wing span of 1.85m, enjoying great speed and intricate timing on her strokes. Her fastest served has been clocked at over 130 miles per hour.

She exemplifies control and exudes fluidity of motion. Venus is one of the most powerful baseliners in the game. A competent volleyer as well, she has developed an elegant yet explosive all-court game. 

Venus may not win easily when she struggles but she also never quits trying. When her game is on, she is practically unbeatable. Part of her success can be attributed to the fact that she keeps her emotions under wraps at all times. 

Her range and foot speed allow Venus typically to dominate her opponents, especially on grass where her game and playing style coalesce.

Today the former world No. 1 will face Angelique Kerber of Germany and it is safe to say that Venus should win this contest without too much difficulty even though the Australian Open has never been a lucky place for Venus. 

As you survey Venus’ quarter of the draw, you have to like her chances of making it very deep into the tournament.

If the seedings hold, Venus would meet Flavia Pennetta in the third round and Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals—with an imminent semifinal match-up with sister Serena. 

No one is really talking about Venus and that suits her fine. She remains quietly confident, having recently defeated Jelena Jankovic, Anna Chakvetadze, and Vera Zonareva in winning the JB Group Classic in Hong Kong and giving Team America the championship. 

Venus also had success at Doha, winning her first WTA Tour Championship by defeating Vera Zvonareva. She made it exciting by surviving in a three-set contest, 6-7, 6-0, 6-2—the win marked Venus' 39th career title. 

The 2008 campaign found the women's field playing hot-potato with the No. 1 ranking—after Justine Henin’s abrupt retirement in May—from Henin to Sharapova, to Ivanovic, to Jankovic, to Serena Williams and back to Jankovic, who has yet to win a Major. 

Venus embraces 2009. At age 28, she is re-energized. Holder of 16 Grand Slam titles—seven singles, seven doubles and two mixed doubles—she feels this is the year to add to her totals—especially when the new ranking system for the WTA is in effect—a ranking system that guarantees emphasis on quality rather than quantity. 

It is well-known that the Williams sisters don't play many tournaments but they are always in contention when they do play. The new system should help both.

For the moment, no one is playing better tennis than Venus Williams and no one is looking forward more to winning this title than the quietly self-confident older Williams sister.