Sisters take center stage

Venus and Serena Williams will be in features at the U.S. Open tonight.

NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. Open begins, the women’s title is considered up for grabs, with perhaps half a dozen serious title contenders. And yet this Grand Slam, just like women’s tennis as a whole, is in many ways all about the Williams sisters.

Only one active player owns more major singles titles than Venus Williams’ six: Serena Williams, with eight.

Each Williams took home one of this year’s first three Grand Slam trophies: Serena at the Australian Open, Venus at Wimbledon.

They are the primary reason the U.S. Open’s women’s championship shifted to prime time in 2001, when they met in the first of six all-Williams major finals.

They are featured in the two matches under the lights tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Day 1 of the Open. Top-seeded Justine Henin, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 5 Ana Ivanovic are in action during the day, as is three-time defending men’s champion Roger Federer.

It’s quite clear: Regardless of what the rankings or recent form say, any conversation about women’s tennis, where it’s been and where it is, begins with the two big-hitting siblings.

“Growing up, we dreamed of that, of us being on top of women’s tennis, playing Slam finals, being [ranked] 1 and 2. That’s what we worked for,” said Venus, who faces 137th-ranked qualifier Kira Nagy of Hungary. “So when that happens, it’s incredible, it’s amazing. I think for us there’s no doubt that we can achieve these things.”

More than just tennis

And still, in so many ways, the Williams sisters are about so much more than women’s tennis, from their clothing deals to various outside interests.

“Their passions get inflamed for tennis at times,” said CBS analyst Mary Carillo, “and at times it seems the only place they want to be is away from the sport.”

That’s particularly so when it comes to Serena, the younger and more extroverted of the pair.

She has a provocative photo in the August issue of Jane magazine, her back to the camera, wearing nothing but a silver pair of heels and holding a strategically placed bunch of flowers. “I’ll take off my shirt in a second — locker room girls don’t have much shame,” the accompanying copy reads.

Her take on the picture? “Simply divine,” she said Saturday.

And as of Tuesday, she’ll loom over midtown Manhattan on a billboard for a Nike ad campaign featuring female athletes. The tag line: “Are you looking at my titles?”

This kind of exposure isn’t anything new for the younger Williams, who has dabbled in television acting and posed for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Potential

Which is all part of why some wonder whether she and her sister pay enough attention to their primary line of work. Or put another way: How good could they be — and could they have been — if tennis received the Williams’ undivided attention?

“You never know with the Williams sisters,” said Tracy Austin, a two-time U.S. Open champion. “They seem to break all the rules.”

And why both join defending champion Maria Sharapova, Henin, Jankovic and Ivanovic as favorites at the U.S. Open — even though Venus is seeded 12th and Serena eighth, even though Venus has played one tournament in the past seven weeks and Serena zero.

“The Williams sisters,” Sharapova said, “have been playing great tennis.”

Not surprisingly, both sisters scoff at the notion that tennis is anything but No. 1 for them.

“Tennis has always been a priority in my life,” said Serena, who plays 67th-ranked Angelique Kerber of Germany. “And right now, it’s the same priority.”