Say what you want about how the quality of Venus Williams' game has deteriorated as she's transitioned into the elder stateswoman of the WTA, but don't question her commitment to tennis.
Not after her big comeback in last night's second round match against Czech Republic's Sandra Zahlavova.
With defending champion Serena Williams unable to compete due to an injury, Venus entered the Australian Open as the only ranked American woman at the No. 4 seed. She cruised to a straight-set first round win, and then came her battle in the second round.
Locked in a first set tie-break against Zahlavova, Williams appeared to pull a groin muscle, forcing a shrieking yell uncharacteristic of Venus, who's known to show very little emotion during matches. After losing the next point, and the set, Williams left the court on an injury time out to get her upper right thigh wrapped.
During the course of their lengthy careers, the Williams sisters have been accused of losing their commitment to tennis. Serena dabbled in acting amongst other things while Venus began a career as an interior and fashion designer. But after Tuesday's match, the older Williams silenced her critics.
Not only did Venus return, she went on to take the next two sets 6-0, 6-4. A couple of her rallies produced more shrieking noises and replays showed Williams repeatedly wincing as she went for shots. But no excuses. Commentators even noted that Williams waved off the trainer who was waiting to provide more treatment at the first break of the second set.
I've been watching tennis matches for decades now, and following Venus' career since it began, but I never realized one fact. In 257 Grand Slam matches played, Venus has never retired from a match. As injury-prone as she is, it is a remarkable feat for Venus to accomplish.
At 30, Venus is no longer the quickest player on tour. Once able to get to every ball, Venus can barely keep up with the younger crop of players on the tour. And while her name, along with her her sister's, will always be dropped among contenders at majors, she is hardly considered the favorite anymore. Her place in tennis history has been set so she could retire any day now and get the full credit she deserves for advancing the popularity of the sport. She's got nothing left to prove.
So it makes Venus' decision to continue playing even more commendable. We've watched as peers Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters have retired from competition at some point in their careers. But with all their off-the-court commitments, Venus and Serena have never walked away from the game.
Venus has never won the Australian Open and she isn't favored to win this year. But with younger promising players like Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina crashing out in the early rounds, she may have a shot. Clijsters, the heavy favorite, lost in the final of a warm up tournament leading up to this week, so there are signs that she could crack under pressure.
If Venus is able to recover from the injury before her next match, and make a run into the second week, then we could witness the resurgence of her career; a fitting accomplishment to achieve in Australia, also known as the Down Under.
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