21st appearance
It is one of the perks of becoming a Wimbledon champion that not only do you get to hold one of those two magnificent trophies (and pocket a correspondingly magnificent cheque) but you become an Honorary Member of the All England Club.
But Venus Williams, who first gained that august status in 2000 with the first of her five titles, is not just a member of The Club, she is part of the fixtures and fittings. She has been coming to SW19 for two decades and this is her 21st campaign in a 22-year span. So embedded is she in the fabric of the place that a Wimbledon without Venus seems unthinkable.
She moved into the third round with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Alexandra Dulgheru, the world No.141 from Romania and apart from a sluggish start, she gave every indication that she intends to be a part of The Championships for a good while longer.
“She played well in the first set, I have to give her credit,” Williams said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever played her before and it’s not easy to play someone you’ve never played. I’m sure she’s seen me play a lot! She was extremely competitive.
“It’s just about winning the match – if that’s your best or not, it doesn’t matter as long as you win.”
To say that Williams is difficult to read is a bit like saying climbing Mount Everest in roller skates can be tricky. Her press conferences tend to be minimalist in nature (she is not one for the expansive answer) while her on-court demeanour can be confusing. Is she happy? Is she concerned? Is she well? Is she tired? Who knows?
There were times during the opening exchanges when the former champion looked absolutely done for after a rally. Breathing hard and looking glum, she appeared to be struggling badly. After all, she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome in 2011, an incurable and debilitating auto-immune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain. The symptoms can flare up for no particular reason and Williams has no idea how she is going to feel day by day.
But then, from a break down and staring at yet more break points, Williams came back. She may have looked exhausted but she was flinging herself around the court to get a racket on the ball and when she did, she was clumping that ball for all she was worth. Suddenly the game was on.
Which brings us to Williams’s right arm. From elbow to wrist, it was swathed in a sort of sleeve affair (“almost entirely white”, of course). Was this to support an ailing joint or cover a latent injury? Er, no. It was a fashion statement, although it took a bit of behind the scenes digging to find this out. The Williams camp was giving nothing away.
What the No.9 seed was prepared to reveal, though, was that she had absolutely no intention of leaving any time soon.
Dulgheru might have caught her unawares, breaking in the opening game of the match, but that was all the Romanian was getting on No.1 Court. As Williams eased into her power game, there was not a lot Dulgheru could do to stop her stately progress into the third round. She tried, mind you, with a titanic fifth game in the second set, but after almost 10 minutes Williams finally held her serve with a volley that landed nerve-rackingly close to the baseline. A matter of minutes later, the second set had gone to the former champion.
An early break in the third set wrapped up the afternoon. Once Williams was 3-1 to the good, she was not to be stopped. Clattering the ball from the baseline, working her way to the net to punch away another winning volley, she was in complete control. Not that she looked pleased about it, though.
Once the match was won, there was the now trademarked Venus twirl and wave but no smile, no punching of the air. Only as she left the court did she allow herself a grin and a wave to her box. This was only the second round; the former champion plans on having plenty of work to do in the coming days as she sets her sights on the sharp end of The Championships.
