Venus Williams sails past Henin for second title

By Nirmal Shekar

LONDON, JULY 8. Small is beautiful - even on a grass court. But, then, it takes more than beautiful tennis to win a championship match on the famous lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, as a waif-like Belgian called Justine Henin found out in the Wimbledon championships this afternoon.

And what it takes - power and athleticism - is precisely what Venus Ebone Starr Williams has got in such abundance that she may well become another serial champion in the great tradition established by the likes of Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf.

The second seeded American rose to the occasion like a true champion in defence of her hard-won title on the centre court this afternoon in the rescheduled final as she handled Henin's mid-match threat with the courage and conviction of a born winner.

Venus's 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory saw her become the first woman champion to defend her title successfully since Steffi Graf in 1996. The match, briefly interrupted by rain in the second set, lasted a mere 68 minutes and should go down as one of the quickest three-set finals in Grand Slam history.

If all goes well for Venus, who is only 21, she might very well make people wonder, somewhere along the line, if the winner's trophy - called the Venus Rosewater dish - should actually be renamed the Venus Williams dish.

Getting her job done amidst spitting rain, with the chief referee Alan Mills anxiously looking up at the skies from near the players' entrance, Venus was a little more subdued in her celebration on court this time compared to last year when her leap into history turned out to be the photographers's delight.

``I didn't leap because it was raining a little bit and I didn't want to fall,'' said Venus after winning her third Grand Slam title. She is also the reigning U.S.Open champion.

Thousands of miles away in the United States, a reclusive 73-year old black woman immobilised by severe arthritis would have proposed a toast in front of her TV screen. Althea Gibson was a courageous pioneer, the first black champion at Wimbledon in 1957 who came back to successfully defend her title the following year. A few days ago, Gibson had sent her best wishes to Venus and had said that she'd be cheering for the young American.

Of course, Gibson would not have made a fraction of the money that Venus took home today - just over Rs.3 crores - in her entire career. But, not all the money in the world can buy the sort of courage and single-mindedness of purpose that saw Gibson overcome almost insurmountable odds in a lily white sport and in what was still very much a white-dominated society divided on the lines of colour.

For Venus, of course, the world has been so much a better place in which to grow up and realise her dream of becoming a champion. And today she proved that she is no one-shot wonder on grass.

``This was a lot more difficult than the first time. I was thinking a lot this time,'' said Venus. ``If all goes well I will come back and try to win again next year.''

For Henin, who the same time last year was world ranked 100 but will climb to a career high No.5 after her final appearance here today, it was a bit of a disappointment. But the 5ft 5in, 19-year old Belgian, 16kg lighter and eight inches shorter than her opponent, was not really heart-broken.

``She is a great champion. She played better than me today. I tried to put pressure in the second set. But she was much stronger mentally. I will come back again and try to win this,'' said Henin with a broad smile.

Venus permitting, Henin does have it in her to win the most coveted trophy in the sport. After being outplayed in the first set in only 20 minutes, the little Belgian, watched by her longtime coach Carlos Rodriguez, a former touring pro in the 80s, and her boyfriend Pierre-Yves Hardenne, made sure that the world will now remember Belgium for much more than its high-quality chocolates and world champion cyclists!

Henin's comeback in the second set wouldn't have actually tasted anywhere as nice as the famous Belgian chocolates for Venus herself. For, after dominating as she did in the first set, the champion saw the momentum swing to the other extreme in the only competitive set of the match. ``She is a very good player. She fought back so well hitting some great shots. I knew I had to raise my game in the decider,'' said Venus.

And she did just that. As against Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals, the champion did that as if all it takes is to touch some invisible button in her racket. Venus started the match with two double faults but then raced through the first set, winning five games in a row from 1-1.

Henin's comeback was built on aggressive tactics. She not only started serving better but the wisp of a woman from Belgium won a bunch of critical points at the net, fighting off a breakpoint to hold to 3-2.

That was when the skies opened up and the players had to go back into the locker room for a break that was, fortunately, rather short.

On resumption, Henin played her best tennis of the match as she broke through to 5-3 and then served out the set in the next game, playing a pair of superb angled volleys.

The little woman not only has a great backhand - the best shot in women's tennis - and lovely touch at the net but she is also unafraid to go for her shots when in trouble, a virtue that would surely help her to a major title in the near future.

But once into the third set, Venus's power and passion tilted the scales conclusively as the champion stepped on the pedal and raced to the finish.

``Venus's greater experience and mental strength made all the difference in the end. I couldn't sustain my level after the second set,'' said Henin.

It is indeed remarkable how Venus, time and again, manages to play her best tennis on the big occasion. She looked so pedestrian at the start of this tournament and was good only in patches against Davenport in an error-ridden semifinal.

But today, although she lost the second set, Venus did not really have a major slump in the match and the quality of her tennis in the first and third sets was absolutely top class.

And to think the champion did not even have any serious preparation on grass before coming here, not long after a shock first round defeat to Barbara Schett at the French Open!

Indeed, some athletes are born to be champions - and none more so than Venus Ebone Starr Williams.

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