Serena, Venus find it's not always about tennis October 31, 2004 BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Tennis seems like an afterthought to the Williams sisters these days. Little sister Serena, who wants to be an actress, can be seen regularly in the pages of entertainment magazines. Modeling outfits, kissing her boyfriend (or is it her ex-boyfriend?), making appearances at Hollywood premieres. Maybe one day Serena will win an Emmy or an Oscar. At the moment, though, Serena is famous for being famous. Although she tends to keep a lower profile, big sister Venus is no stranger to the paparazzi, either. Venus hopes to become a fashion designer. She's taking classes and has another year of school left. Maybe one day she'll become the next Narciso Rodriguez. For now, she's content to study her craft. For Venus and Serena, the 2004 tennis season has been filled with injuries and withdrawals, losses and upset losses. Serena has dropped to No. 9 in the rankings; Venus is No. 10. But they don't seem unhappy about that. At least, they're almost always smiling in the magazines. Tennis no longer appears to be either sister's top priority. I wonder: Is this such a bad thing? It's not as if the sisters need to keep playing to pay their rent. Venus, 24, and Serena, 23, have had their share of lucrative endorsement deals. And as poorly (and rarely) as they've played this year, they've still managed to win a bundle of money. Serena has made $1.3 million; Venus has made $813,000. By anyone's standards, these young women are rich. They can pick and choose their tournaments or choose not to play at all. The huge amount of prize money that's showered on tennis players might not be good for the sport, but it has been very good for the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena are staging their own minitour. The sisters are coming to the UIC Pavilion on Nov. 17 to kick off the "McDonald's Williams Sisters Tour.'' Considering the tour consists of only three stops, we should feel pretty lucky. Considering a portion of the proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities, let's hope the Pavilion is packed. When the tour leaves Chicago, it heads to Detroit and then Atlanta. The Williams have family in Michigan, so the sisters are excited about playing there. But during a teleconference Friday, Venus said she's looking forward to coming to Chicago, as well. She thinks it's "going to be very, very exciting.'' When Richard Williams predicted greatness for his daughters many years ago, I'll admit to having had doubts. But Dad turned out to be right. It wasn't too long before Venus and Serena were dominating. I thought they'd keep it up forever, like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova did. But maybe tennis just isn't their thing anymore. And there's nothing wrong with that. Venus claims their commitment is strong. Sure, she and Serena both had a bad year, but she says tennis remains their priority. "We haven't been our healthiest this year,'' Venus said. "Next season, we'll be ready to go.'' I'll believe that when I see it. Not that I wouldn't love to see the sisters come back healthy and focused on tennis. I'd love to see them take on and beat Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo. I'd love to see them reclaim a couple of major titles. But if the Williams sisters never win another tournament between them, I doubt that will be the end of their world. Maybe they're burnt out. Or maybe they're thinking about more important things than tennis. On Friday, Venus talked about her desire to give something back to her fans. Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta were picked as tour stops because there's very little professional tennis played in these cities. The sisters wanted their fans to have a chance to see them play. "It's something we've been dreaming of because we want to take tennis to places it's never been before,'' Venus said. "[The McDonald's Williams Sisters Tour] is not just about tennis, but it's about all the things that Serena and I believe in. That's why it's special, because it really represents us. We believe in giving back to the community at every level. We believe in helping others who are not as privileged as we are at this point in our lives.'' They're young, smart and very talented, the kind of women who can succeed at anything. I hope they return to championship form. But if the Williams sisters never play another match, that's OK with me, too. I think they have their priorities straight. -- Justine Henin-Hardenne: Serena......... 这场战役已分出了胜负 我不服 怎麽那麽快就要俯首臣服 不能哭 泪水真的撑得很辛苦 放下吧 又觉得事情还没结束 --

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