Venus could be my biggest hurdle: Serena

Updated on: 21 June,2009 06:35 AM IST |
AFP |

Serena Williams reckons sister Venus can deny her a Wimbledon crown this year

Serena Williams reckons sister Venus can deny her a Wimbledon crown this year

Serena Williams

The 27-year-old lost out in last year's final to her elder sibling, in what was the third championship match played out between the two at SW19.

Serena had won the previous two meetings, in 2002 and 2003, but she is some way behind her sister in terms of Wimbledon titles as Venus has five trophies to her name. And although the younger Williams is content with her own preparations heading into the tournament, the second seed also has one eye on Venus.

"Venus is everyone's worry," said the American. "She's the best grasscourt player in our generation.

"She has an amazing serve which helps a lot, an amazing return and is really fast. She also has long arms so she just gets everything back.

"It's hard playing a player like that especially on grass where it's faster and you have that much less time to react. She's also a smart player.

"I feel confident and relaxed though. I think that's what I need to feel and no matter what happens I feel happy."

Williams will open her All England challenge against Portuguese qualifier Neuza Silva in what will be her first grasscourt match of the year.

Confident
The American has opted to miss both Eastbourne and Birmingham in recent years, the traditional warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon, but the 10-time Grand Slam winner remains confident she has had enough practice on the green surface heading into SW19. "I'm prepared for the switch to grass," Williams explained.

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