Venus getting back to the basics

She has not won a grand slam title since 2001.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus Williams wants to play better by trying to be less than perfect.
The approach worked at Wimbledon in her opening match Monday, when Williams overcame some erratic shotmaking to beat qualifier Stanislava Hrozenska 6-2, 6-2 in 50 minutes.
Williams won Wimbledon in 2000 and '01 but has come up short in her past six Grand Slam events.
"At times I have to slow myself down and say, 'Venus, every shot doesn't have to be the greatest and the best,' " she said. "Sometimes it's OK to hit a shot that's regular."
The No. 4-seeded Williams is trying to bounce back from a fourth-round upset loss to Vera Zvonareva at the French Open. The defeat again raised questions about her devotion to tennis, an issue that first surfaced when younger sister Serena overtook her last year as the game's dominant player.
Different story
Venus was still No. 1 at this time a year ago, but she lost to Serena in four consecutive major finals, including Wimbledon.
"I think a lot of people would love to be in the position I'm in -- to even have a chance to win a Grand Slam," she said after beating Hrozenska. "Seeing that I'm in that position, I'm not going to get wistful for other things.
"I think a lot of times too much emphasis is put on the Grand Slams also. There are a lot of wonderful WTA events that I love playing."
But this year she has won just a single title, four months ago at Antwerp. That compares with seven titles in 2002 and six in 2001.
"I would have loved to have had a better year, but it's not so bad," she said. "I would have liked to have played more tournaments. That's what I'm going to try to do the second half. I think it helps me be a little more competitive."
An abdominal strain hindered Williams' preparation for the French Open. She said she's still a bit limited in practice but feeling better.
"It's quite nice to be here a lot healthier," she said.
Moving on
Also advancing in women's play were No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters, No. 5 Lindsay Davenport, No. 7 Chanda Rubin and No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova. The only seeded players eliminated were No. 20 Patty Schnyder, beaten by Petra Mandula, and No. 25 Anna Pistolesi, who lost to Samantha Reeves.
Clijsters beat Rossana Neffa-de los Rios 6-0, 6-0 in 31 minutes. The shutout came on Centre Court after Clijsters' boyfriend, defending champion Lleyton Hewitt, was upset by Ivo Karlovic.