Venus Williams: 3 Reasons She Is One of the Favorites to Win the 2011 U.S. Open

Twenty-one grand slam titles, and yet she still has her doubters.

The 2011 U.S. Open is nearly upon us, as Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and some of the top women's players in the world compete for this prestigious Grand Slam title.

Kim Clijsters shocked the tennis world in the 2010 U.S. Open, beating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets in what was a run to remember.

This year there has been much competition on the women's side, as the Williams sisters have put themselves back on the map. Venus Williams is arguably one of the favorites going into this year's U.S. Open.

Here are the three reasons why Venus Williams has to be one of the favorites to win the 2011 U.S. Open tournament.

The Odds Are in Her Favor

The average odds for Venus Williams to come home with a U.S. Open title are about 20 to 1, yet she is 10th overall as far as chances to win the tourney are concerned.

To give some perspective to these odds, the reigning champion at the U.S. Open is projected as having the ninth best odds to win the tournament. Wozniacki, who hasn't even won a Grand Slam yet, is five spots above. Venus has not only won a Grand Slam, she's won 21.

Considering her time off from the game earlier in the year, Williams is beginning to heat up.

Performance at the 2011 Wimbledon Tournament

In the 2011 Wimbledon championship, Williams was feeling it again, as she was able to win her first three matchups before losing in straight sets to Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-2, 6-3.

Both Williams sisters lost in the fourth round, yet Serena is in fact favored to win the entire tournament on the women's side. Yet considering the fact that the two had been out for 11 months and five months, with Venus being out for five months, it was as impressive as any performance they could have put together.

Venus has been heating up, and after her performance at Wimbledon she should have a lot more confidence going into the 2011 U.S. Open.

Experience Will Help Her Through

Venus Williams has won 21 Grand Slam titles, seven of which were singles titles. Of the seven, two were won at this very tournament, the U.S. Open.

Despite the fact that they were in 2000 and 2001, Williams is still just 31 years of age and still has the physical ability to make an impact with her play at this year's stage. The way she was hitting the ball and making plays at Wimbledon showed glimpses of that player 10 years ago.

Experience and having got it done on this very stage before is a subtle yet significant advantage in this tournament for Williams and really, in any sport. Her talent as a tennis player is still there, despite falling off the map for some time due to injury.

Expect big things from Venus in this year's 2011 U.S. Open. Is she the ultimate, flat-out favorite? By no means. Can she make noise in this year's tournament and possibly find herself in a position to win it? Without question.

Don't underestimate what a player like Williams can bring to the table.