Some things don’t change: Venus Williams begins bid for 3rd straight and 6th Wimbledon title

Venus seeks 3rd straight and 6th Wimbledon title

WIMBLEDON, England — When Venus Williams first played here in 1997, Wimbledon had a much different look, and not only because there’s now a retractable roof on Centre Court.

The field looked much different, too. None of the 16 women to reach the fourth round is still active.

Williams, who was then 17, lost in the opening round. This year, at 29, she’s the oldest player in the top 10 and the tournament favorite, seeking her sixth Wimbledon title and third in a row.

“In previous years I have had just a great feeling at this tournament,” Williams said Sunday. “And I’m looking forward to having that feeling again.”

In 1997, Williams was part of a generation of teen prodigies that broadened the popularity of women’s tennis. The group included Martina Hingis, who won Wimbledon that year, and Anna Kournikova, who made the semifinals. Both were 16. Other quarterfinalists included Mary Joe Fernandez, Jana Novotna and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

A year later, Serena Williams made her Wimbledon debut. The sisters are well aware of how much the cast has changed since.

“Serena and I often talk about that: ‘Wonder what happened to them,’” Venus said. “We’re still here, and we’re not leaving. It has been a real blessing to have the success that we’ve had and to be able to be still playing great tennis at this point, obviously with the outlook of still playing great tennis for years to come. I don’t see anything changing for a while.”

At times, the sisters have made Wimbledon the Williams Open. Serena was the champion in 2002 and 2003 and lost to Venus in last year’s final. The only non-Williams to win the women’s title in this decade were Maria Sharapova in 2004 and Amelie Mauresmo in 2006.

Venus has been so dominant that she’s a 3-1 favorite with London bookmakers, even though she’s seeded third and has won only five of her past nine matches. She’ll play in the opening round Tuesday against 19-year-old Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland.

Defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw because of bad knees, leaving Roger Federer as a strong favorite to win a sixth Wimbledon men’s championship and a record-breaking 15th major title overall. Federer was to play the opening match Monday on Centre Court against Yen-hsun Lee of Taiwan.

If it’s raining, the new translucent roof on the 87-year-old stadium will be closed so play can proceed as scheduled. Williams, for one, likes the modern touch.

“Update, don’t be late — that’s my motto,” Venus said. “So I think the roof is good.”

Aside from the Williams sisters, the women’s draw lacks any obvious title contenders. Sharapova is playing herself back into form following shoulder surgery in October, top-ranked Dinara Safina is 0-3 in Grand Slam finals, and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has a spotty record at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Venus is 50-4 at the All England Club since 2000, when she won the title for the first time.

“Certainly with her past results, I definitely think she’s the favorite,” Sharapova said. “She has a very big game, a very powerful and steady game. Her serve is a big weapon. She uses a lot of her strengths on this surface really well. And she’s just able to do it year after year after year.”

Venus owns two other Grand Slam titles, but those came back in 2000-01 at the U.S. Open. Since the beginning of 2004 she has reached only one semifinal at a major event other than Wimbledon. This year she lost in the second round at the Australian Open, and in the third round at the French Open.

But at Wimbledon, the grandest stage in tennis, Williams ranks among the greatest champions. Martina Navratilova holds the tournament record with nine singles titles. The only other players since World War II to rank ahead of Williams are Steffi Graf (seven titles) and Billie Jean King (six).

“It’s fantastic to look up and see a good number by your name,” Williams said. “It’s great to be a part of history. I already am. If I can step it up a notch, it will be even more of an honor.”