Venus Williams /Getty Images

July 4, 2005 - At the start of Wimbledon two weeks ago, few thought the lowly No. 14 seed Venus Williams had any shot at winning. But what a difference a fortnight makes! On Saturday, the rangy American won her third Wimbledon title when she defeated the No. 1 seed and fellow American Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 9-7.

The come-from-behind victory set two records: At 2 hours 45 minutes, it will go down as the longest final in Wimbledon women’s history. As well, Williams’ seeding at No. 14 makes her the lowest-seeded player in the Open era to win the Championship. More importantly, perhaps, the victory showed that the fire and determination missing from her game over the last few years has come back with a vengeance.

At 25, her return to the centre stage of women’s tennis is a remarkable tale of perseverance. In 2000 and 2001 she won her first two Wimbledon titles. For the next two years she reached the finals losing both times to her sister Serena. It was en route to her 2003 final that Venus injured a stomach muscle which has hobbled her ever since and lowered her ranking. Clearly, Williams’ grueling win over the tournament’s top seed, means she is finally feeling healthy again. Throughout the tournament—in particular when she knocked off the reigning Wimbledon champion, Maria Sharapova, in the semis—she displayed the power and athleticism that was once her trademark.

But if Venus is back on top of the tennis world, she did not want to take all the credit. In post-match interviews, she blew a metaphorical kiss to her sister Serena, ousted in the third round by American Jill Craybas, by saying: “I get my strength from Serena. I’ve tried to fight like her as long as I've been playing tennis. She's such a fighter. I saw her play Lindsay a long time ago and she was so far behind in that match but kept fighting, and she won. So I just tried to stay in it.”

The stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will debut at the world class Rexall Centre in Toronto as part of the Rogers Cup August 13–21st. To purchase tickets please call 1-877-2-TENNIS ext. 4333 or visit on-line at <a href="http://tickets.rexallcentre.com/English/tickets.asp" target="_blank">www.rogerscup.com</a>

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