She and Dad Williams have their excuse ready in case she loses, and has been communicated by a nice media orchestration.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_y...?slug=ap-wimbledon-williams&prov=ap&type=lgns
Serena Williams: hamstring's tight, father's lips loose
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer
June 25, 2007
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Perhaps Serena Williams' dad was simply trying to offer an explanation for her slow start at Wimbledon.
In the process, he might have given her next opponent a bit of a scouting report.
Either way, Williams was far from her best early in her first-round match at the All England Club on Monday, and afterward said she has a tight hamstring. Still, the two-time Wimbledon champion turned things around quite quickly and reeled off the final nine games to beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain 7-5, 6-0.
"It's good she got through the match, but she looks like she's playing a little hurt. I don't think she should be playing. I told her she shouldn't," her father and coach, Richard, said after watching the match.
Then, with a laugh, he added: "You'll have to ask her about what the injury is or I might lose my job for talking."
Asked about it, the No. 7-seeded Williams acknowledged the hamstring problem -- even though she said over the weekend she felt healthy.
"Honestly, I did feel a little limited. But I think if things had been tougher, I would have fought through it," she said after advancing to a second-round match against Alicia Molik of Australia. "It's getting better -- better than it was a couple of days ago. Flared up, but it's getting better now, slowly but surely."
And she wasn't upset that her father mentioned to reporters that she isn't 100 percent fit.
"I'll probably let it slide this time," she said.
Williams didn't think the leg problem affected her serve, even though she finished with six double-faults, a total she figured is "more than I hit in a tournament, normally."
There were other problems, including 20 unforced errors, four more than her opponent.
At 4-4 in the first set, Williams sailed a backhand long, then a forehand long, getting broken. That allowed the 57th-ranked Dominguez Lino to serve for the set. But she missed a backhand into the net, then another long, and Williams hit a swinging volley to break back and make it 5-5.
The American didn't lose a game the rest of the way and compiled a 9-1 edge in winners during the second set.
"I raised my game on some points, which I think was the big difference," Williams said. "Out of a 10, I was probably at a 2, maybe."
That was enough for the eight-time major champion to beat Dominguez Lino, who owns one career Grand Slam match victory.
How much of an outsider is she? While Williams sported a made-for-her outfit with her multimillion-dollar endorser's logo, Dominguez Lino was wearing temporary sponsor patches that were stuck to her shirt. During one changeover, Dominguez Lino lifted one off and switched it from her front to her sleeve.
Williams also is playing at Wimbledon with a gold-inlaid racket provided by another sponsor. Whether that made a difference in her play, it certainly did in her demeanor.
"I kept making errors. I was just really frustrated at that point. I wanted to smash my racket," she said. "But seeing that it's gold, I can't."
AP Freelance Writer Sandra Harwitt contributed to this report.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_y...?slug=ap-wimbledon-williams&prov=ap&type=lgns
Serena Williams: hamstring's tight, father's lips loose
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer
June 25, 2007
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Perhaps Serena Williams' dad was simply trying to offer an explanation for her slow start at Wimbledon.
In the process, he might have given her next opponent a bit of a scouting report.
Either way, Williams was far from her best early in her first-round match at the All England Club on Monday, and afterward said she has a tight hamstring. Still, the two-time Wimbledon champion turned things around quite quickly and reeled off the final nine games to beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain 7-5, 6-0.
"It's good she got through the match, but she looks like she's playing a little hurt. I don't think she should be playing. I told her she shouldn't," her father and coach, Richard, said after watching the match.
Then, with a laugh, he added: "You'll have to ask her about what the injury is or I might lose my job for talking."
Asked about it, the No. 7-seeded Williams acknowledged the hamstring problem -- even though she said over the weekend she felt healthy.
"Honestly, I did feel a little limited. But I think if things had been tougher, I would have fought through it," she said after advancing to a second-round match against Alicia Molik of Australia. "It's getting better -- better than it was a couple of days ago. Flared up, but it's getting better now, slowly but surely."
And she wasn't upset that her father mentioned to reporters that she isn't 100 percent fit.
"I'll probably let it slide this time," she said.
Williams didn't think the leg problem affected her serve, even though she finished with six double-faults, a total she figured is "more than I hit in a tournament, normally."
There were other problems, including 20 unforced errors, four more than her opponent.
At 4-4 in the first set, Williams sailed a backhand long, then a forehand long, getting broken. That allowed the 57th-ranked Dominguez Lino to serve for the set. But she missed a backhand into the net, then another long, and Williams hit a swinging volley to break back and make it 5-5.
The American didn't lose a game the rest of the way and compiled a 9-1 edge in winners during the second set.
"I raised my game on some points, which I think was the big difference," Williams said. "Out of a 10, I was probably at a 2, maybe."
That was enough for the eight-time major champion to beat Dominguez Lino, who owns one career Grand Slam match victory.
How much of an outsider is she? While Williams sported a made-for-her outfit with her multimillion-dollar endorser's logo, Dominguez Lino was wearing temporary sponsor patches that were stuck to her shirt. During one changeover, Dominguez Lino lifted one off and switched it from her front to her sleeve.
Williams also is playing at Wimbledon with a gold-inlaid racket provided by another sponsor. Whether that made a difference in her play, it certainly did in her demeanor.
"I kept making errors. I was just really frustrated at that point. I wanted to smash my racket," she said. "But seeing that it's gold, I can't."
AP Freelance Writer Sandra Harwitt contributed to this report.
Oh my God, did I begin a sentence with "and"?
