The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Venus still looking to end Slam drought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Venus still looking to end Slam drought

MELBOURNE, JAN. 25. Another Grand Slam , another early exit, and all the doubts about whether Venus Williams will ever be the dominant force she once was have resurfaced again.

The former world No. 1 bowed out of the Australian Open in the fourth round to Alicia Molik on Monday, losing 7-5, 7-6 (3) after failing to impose herself on her 10th seeded opponent.

The result means that Williams has not gone further than the quarterfinals in her last five Grand Slam appearances, and has not appeared in a final since her defeat to little sister Serena at Wimbledon in 2003.

But a dejected Williams insisted that she can bounce back after this latest disappointment.

When asked if she was still as competitive as four years ago, when she won the last of her four Grand Slam titles, she was adamant: "Absolutely."

The match against Molik was a blip, she added, coming early in the year at a tournament which she finds difficult to prepare for because of its position in the calendar.

"This is a tough tournament to win because of the timing of it," the 24-year-old said. "You have to definitely be 'on' immediately. You have to definitely be a hundred per cent going into the event.

"There's no room for error. I feel like I was playing well, but I was just off a bit. And you can't afford to do that."

Gap has closed

Williams acknowledged that whereas her and Serena once stood head and shoulders from their rivals on the women's tour, the gap had now closed. — AFP

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