Serena Williams can bank on warm support when she faces sister Venus in an exhibition at their local Florida country club. It may be a different story if Serena meets US Open champion Sam Stosur on the Queenslander’s home turf at the Brisbane International.
The younger Williams arrives in Australia tomorrow week for the tournament, which starts the following day. A dream draw would pit her against Stosur in a rematch of their Flushing Meadows final, when the American launched an explosive tirade at the umpire.
In the meantime, Serena is preparing to join hitting partner Sasha Bajin against Venus and her hitting partner David Witt at the BallenIsles Country Club for a mixed doubles exhibition early tomorrow (Aust time).
Exhibition director Trish Faulkner told the US Tennis Association’s Florida website: “Venus and Serena’s fiery competitiveness on the court is matched only by how incredibly close they are off court.”
The event will raise funds for Project Aspiration, a mobile learning centre which travels the club’s surrounding area. “Serena and I are looking forward to playing against each other on the stadium court in an event that will entertain members and benefit such a worthy cause,” Venus said.
The Williams sisters are used to playing as a team on the doubles court.
They won the Australian and French Open women’s doubles titles in 2010, but did not play together this season because Venus was reduced to only four tournaments because of illness. This month, however, the sisters revealed their intention to defend their Olympic doubles title in London.
Australian Open organisers still expect Venus in Melbourne, despite her pulling out of a lead-up event in Auckland saying she was not ready to return to competitive tennis.
She has spent the past season battling Sjogren’s syndrome, a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own moisture-producing glands, causing joint pain and fatigue.
