Wimbledon 2011: Unwrapping Stored Treasures That Are the Williams Sisters

Coming into Wimbledon, the world was eagerly awaiting the return of the Williams sisters. Venus had been out for almost half a year and Serena out for almost a year. Both battled injury, with Serena also battling illness earlier this year.

Though they had played at Queens Club prior to Wimbledon, Wimbledon would be their first return to the Grand Slam stage. Would they still have the power that they are so known for? Would they be in the physical shape needed if a match ran long?  These and many other questions were on the minds of millions. Questions that only could be answered once these sisters took the court.

Round 1 showcased Venus coming out playing well. She looked good and took her opponent down in straight sets. She looked to be on course to returning to playing as she had prior to her injury.

Then Round 2 came bearing Kimiko Date-Krumm. She was a player that Venus had watched play. Like Venus, the world also had questions about Date-Krumm.  At her age, could she pull out a win?

Well, the match told the story for both of these women. It showed that though both of them were aging, their skill and determination to go for the victory was still there. However, a hard-fought battle, lasting almost three hours, going back and forth, was finally taken by Venus.

Then in Round 3, Venus apparently used her second round as motivation because in a few minutes past an hour, she defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in straight sets.

Round 1 for Serena meant more than anyone could have ever imagined. During this round, it was easy to see that not only was she struggling physically, she was also struggling mentally. For anyone who watched Serena play, it was easy to see frustration and aggravation written on her face when she made a mistake and/or missed a crucial point.

She won the first set, lost the second one and came back to win the third set. In the end, told so vividly by the tears she shed and words spoken following it, the greatest gift to her was winning, despite the fight to get there, on her return to tennis and to Wimbledon.

The second round also showcased her places of struggle. Once again, it took her three sets to get the win, but it showed her strengthening physically and mentally.

And then, there she was, Round 3. Though still in a place of transitioning back into playing, I think we can all say we saw glimmers of the Serena that we all are ready to see return to the court. She took her opponent, Maria Kirilenko, out in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.

In both of these scenarios, I equate the return and playing of the Williams sisters to making a transition from one house to another. When you move, you take down your keepsakes, wrap them and package them securely for the travel to the next location. Once there, you open the boxes, unwrap the items and put them back out. Same items that went in the box, come out of the box.

Much the same way, these two sisters due to their respective circumstances, had to “pack up their skills” for a temporary period of time, waiting to arrive back on the court. While packed away, nothing changed, their innate skills on the court were still there, just not being used.

Now that they are back, they are “unpacking and unwrapping” their skills with every set they play as they work toward winning another Wimbledon Championship for the Williams’ mantle.

Serena’s next opponent will be the No. 9 seed, Marion Bartoli of France. Serena is 2-0 against Bartoli. Their last meeting was the 2007 US Open. Serena won in straight sets.

Venus’s next opponent is the No. 32 seed Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova. Pironkova leads their head-to-head matches, 2-1. Their last meeting was last year’s Wimbledon where Pironkova won in straight sets.