Venus Williams said on Tuesday she was still feeling the glow of winning Olympic doubles gold with sister Serena in Beijing and mused about a long tennis future alongside her younger sibling.
"That was really such a great moment," twice champion Venus told reporters after defeating Australian Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3 in her opening match at the US Open.
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Venus Williams of the United States celebrates defeating Samantha Stosur of Australia at the US Open on Tuesday. [AFP] |
"I'll definitely be living off that moment for a while. It's going to take me a year to come down off that."
It was the second Olympic doubles gold for Venus and Serena following their Sydney success in 2000, and the elder Williams sister said they planned to claim more Olympic hardware.
"Serena and I, we did talk, because we love the Olympics so much, we were saying: 'Oh, wow. We just want to play this forever.'
"So we talked about playing the 2016 Olympics. Who knows? Maybe by then we'll have a life and not be chasing a ball. Maybe we'll have kids.
"If not, even if so, maybe we'll still try to play."
Venus, the US Open winner in 2000 and 2001, was not at her best against Stosur, getting only 50 percent of her first serves in and delivering just one ace.
Fifth title
The 28-year-old seventh seed said things seemed to go easier for her at Wimbledon, where this summer she rang up her fifth singles title at the All-England Club.
"I can't even figure it out," she said. "I started thinking about that this year, especially with number five. I started thinking: 'Why is it that my first serve percentage is at least in the 60s at Wimbledon, and all this great stuff.
"But I don't know. Just maybe it's the love of my life."
Venus said her Wimbledon win gave her a big boost.
"I felt through the whole tournament that I didn't play worth a dime and I felt like: 'Oh, I'm playing so bad.'
"So to be able to win and think that I wasn't even playing well ... I thought no matter what the circumstance, I can win. So ever since then, I definitely have been a lot more relaxed coming into tournaments."
Venus, whose playing schedule in recent years has been limited by injuries and conflicts with her outside interests, said she is feeling fit and full of love for the game.
"The last few years have kind of been in and out," she added. "Out for a few months and in for a few months. I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to just keep playing throughout the year."
Venus next meets qualifier Rossana De Los Rios of Paraguay, a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 winner against Czech Hana Sromova.
(Agencies via China Daily August 28, 2008)