MYSTERY ILLNESS REMAINS JUST THAT — A MYSTERY: Venus Williams wouldn’t reveal the diagnosis of the mystery illness that’s limited her playing time (“It’s outside of the pressroom, that name,” she said), but the No. 36-ranked American did discuss its symptoms: “It was just energy-sucking and I just couldn’t play pro tennis,” she said. “It was disappointing, because I had huge plans for this summer, of course, to improve my ranking. To miss out on all those points was definitely devastating. Just to miss so much time off tour was just disheartening.”
THAT WAS, LIKE, SOOOO TWO YEARS AGO: Asked about her memories of the ’09 USO [when she was bounced from Ashe Stadium after a verbal assault on a lineswoman), an in-denial Serena Williams said, “I just remember I lost, and that was that. I got really popular. A lot of people were telling me they thought I was super cool, that they’d never saw me so intense. So, yeah, it was awesome.” Did she learn anything from that episode? “I don’t know. I don’t think about it. Are you still thinking about it? Oh, my God, that was, like, two years ago. This is, like, two years later.”
A FASHIONALE START: Madison Keyes, a surprise 6-2, 6-4 winner over Jill Craybas in the first round, said she was inspired to take up the sport by one of Venus Williams’ designs: “I was four, and I walked through my parents’ bedroom. I think they were watching Wimbledon or something, and I decided I wanted Venus’ dress. They told me if I played tennis they’d buy me a tennis dress. I said, ‘All right, I’ll try it.'”
OF ANTIQUES AND GIRAFFES: Maria Sharapova said the highlight of her Tropical Storm Irene entertainment was hanging out in a Manhattan antique shop. “I thought [it] was probably the best day of their life because of everyone walking around. They never thought they were going to sell that old giraffe that’s been there for a hundred years.”
EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK:
REPORTER: “When you beat Venus in 2002, you talked about in 10 years ‘I’ll get to show my kids what I did.’ It suggests that you didn’t perhaps think you would still be…”
SERENA WILLIAMS: “Oh, my God, what a loser. I said that? Oh, my goodness, no way. I had a dream last night that Venus was pregnant.”
9/11 SNAPASHOTS
SERENA WILLIAMS: “I was in D.C., actually. There was a lot of Army trucks everywhere. It was really kind of scary. It’s hard to believe it’s already 10 years later, because it doesn’t seem like that long ago and yet it does seem like that long…Everyone was pretty much alarmed and shocked and all of the above…I think fear is a good word to describe how I felt. I was really scared. It’s changed everyone’s perspective…The people that we lost on September 11th will never be forgotten.”
ROGER FEDERER: “I was at the National Tennis Center in Biel, Switzerland and working out in the gym. I heard something was going on…I don’t know if I got a message on my phone or someone ran down and told me and I started to tell all my friends to turn on the TV and see this incredible news…It’s hard to understand and grasp it, really. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I guess I didn’t quite understand it almost until I came back to America the next time…It was such a shock. It was almost surreal that something like this was possible that someone would want to do that. That was very heavy.”
THE NUMBERS
12-0: Maria Sharapova’s record in three-set matches in 2011.
QUOTEBOOK
“I guess what you try to do in life is try to be as safe as you can be without living in a golden cage, either. You have to go out there and live life, right?” — Roger Federer on living in a post-9/11 world
“I’m at 6-foot-4 now, 6-foot-5 now, which is a good height for tennis. No more taller than that, otherwise I’ll have to play basketball.” — Bernard Tomic
“Sometimes I feel like it’s a great experience for me to be in this position. I’m having a ton of fun with it. But sometimes I feel like I’m playing with house money.” — Top-ranked American Mardy Fish
“I never pay attention to what seed I am. I never look at the draw. I have no idea who I’m facing. If I win my match, I will ask my coach, ‘Okay, who is my next opponent?’ That’s it. That’s how I think. That’s what helps me to stay focused…I never look at the ranking. It’s not something that really matters to me a lot…I always believe if I can play my best tennis, I can beat anyone.” — Vera Zvonareva
“I would be so upset if she retired. She could never do that to me. We have to go out together.” — Venus Williams on the idea of Serena retiring
“Maria’s a fighter. She’s never going to give up.” — Heather Watson, who dropped a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 decision to Maria Sharapova
