Lessons Learned from the Williams Sisters Two Rounds at Eastbourne

The most apparent lesson learned from today's second round matches at the AEGON International involving both Venus and Serena Williams is that it's easier to come back from a 5 month layoff than an 11 month layoff.

Venus enjoyed a fairly routine straight sets win over Ana Ivanovic in her second round match today. She was never broken, and managed to hit a 122 mph serve on the only break point she faced. Serena, however, battled for over 3 hours in a 3 set loss to Vera Zvonareva. She won the first, lost the second in a close tiebreak, then lost the third after battling back from 2 breaks down at 2-5 before finally losing 7-5. From most accounts she just seemed to hit the proverbial wall in the third and just didn't have the legs or energy to battle all the way to the end.

Though she almost pulled off a miracle (dare I say Serena-esque) comeback in the third set, it really was too much to expect the same pre-layoff level of fight from someone who has not been competitive for such a very long time. Some layoffs are good. I'm sure Rafa appreciated the few days he finally had off after his loss to Jo-Wilfried last week at the Queen's Club. It gave him a chance to go to Mallorca to recharge before "the big dance" begins next week.

Some layoffs are not so good. Tennis timing is a funny thing. Two weeks off the court can throw off the rhythm of your serve, footwork and timing for groundstrokes, even confidence can be affected in that short time-frame. Not counting the exhibition match she played against Clijsters in Belgium afterward, her last real match was the straight set beat-down she gave Vera in the Wimbledon final (July 3, 2010).

But that was then and this is now. Since last July she has had two surgeries on her foot, large spans of not even being able to do much in the way of cardio or physio-training, surgery to remove blood clots in her lungs, clothing business ventures to tend to, and even depression. We may see the what seems to be the same Serena on the court -- but it's not the same Serena. From a 3 and 2 win to a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 loss pretty much says it all.

Venus' story is very different. Even after her psoas injury at the Australian Open, Venus was able to win in her match against Czech player Sandra Zahlavova in 3 sets. It was not a pretty victory, it was not a quiet victory (both women were screaming/grunting for their lives on every shot), but it was a victory. Though she withdrew in her next round against Petkovic, her time away from the game was much shorter than Serena's. Her muscle memory has allowed her to regain much of her game a lot quicker than Serena.

Serena was described by witnesses to her first match in terms we don't normally hear used in reference to her game: awful, nervous, huffing/puffing, horrendous, inconsistent -- you get the idea. She cleaned up her game a bit in the second round but in the end just didn't have the conditioning necessary to finish off Vera in the second set. By the time it got to a third the outcome was pretty much determined. She battled back with the determination we expect from her (as Vera got tight at the prospect of only her second win over Serena in the career head-to-heads) but could not muster enough to finish after leveling at 5 all.

A secondary lesson learned from today's matches is that match-ups are key AND there is still a huge difference in playing more highly-ranked opponents. There was a marked difference in the quality of opponents that the sisters had to face today. Going into her match Venus had a 6-1 head-to-head record over the former French Open champ who has currently worked her way back to 18th in the rankings. Yes Ana has played some decent ball as of late, making it to the Birmingham semi-finals last week. But she is still regaining her confidence, and can easily have a mini-meltdown like that against Hantuchova last week. She had 18 break points that she failed to convert in losing that match. If she gets a little tight and starts rushing, the breakdown can be palpable.

But that's not nearly the task Serena had in playing the 3rd ranked Russian. Vera hasn't been playing her best of late, but she is a quality player who made it to both the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year. She has made it to a few semi-final appearances and generally plays deep into almost every tournament. She can be prone to mental meltdowns too, but can also take it to her opponents with deep and penetrating groundstrokes coupled with excellent defense when she's feeling confident. This was never going to be easy for Serena under these circumstances, head-to-head records be damned.

Bottom line: Venus off for 5 months and beating Ana was realistic, and Serena off for a year playing the world #3 -- not so much.

Still, I honestly thought she might be able to pull off the win as I watched the score progress online. Perhaps by next week she will have that extra bit of conditioning that will help her if she is in this situation again going deep into a third set. She will have more time to work on the consistency of her serve which is one of the cornerstones of her game on grass. And with time she will remember, as one of my tennis friends like to say, "who she is"!

Maybe we'll see another quintessential beat-down performance by Serena on the final Saturday. Serena vs. Venus (note: NOT a beat-down), Serena vs. Caroline, Serena vs. Vera, Serena vs. Victoria (Azarenka). Or maybe another opponent TBD. But not this week in Eastbourne.