Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 2, 1994 TAG: 9411020061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROB GLOSTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
The sharp volleys and soft drop shots are not the only elements of Venus Williams' game that separate her from other teen-age tennis phenoms.
What also makes the 14-year-old different is what's missing when she takes the court.
Williams wore a peach jersey and a flower-pattern skirt made by her mom during her pro debut Monday night, a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shaun Stafford. Unlike Jennifer Capriati, who had $5 million in endorsements before turning pro at age 13 in 1990, Williams wore no sponsors' logos.
And unlike players such as Mary Pierce, whose father brazenly rooted for his daughter and verbally abused her opponents, Williams did not have a family cheering section Monday night at the Bank of the West Classic.
Sure, her family was there to watch. But her father was rooting against her, afraid an early taste of success might get her addicted to winning at too young an age. Richard Williams had opposed his daughter's decision to turn pro at 14.
The elder Williams also wants his daughter to remember her roots in a poor neighborhood south of Los Angeles.
``We're from Compton, the ghetto,'' he said, pulling a chunk of Compton concrete from his pocket. ``I keep this with me because we don't ever want to forget where we're from.''
His daughter won't have much of a chance to ease into the pro ranks. Her victory over Stafford, a former NCAA champion who was hampered by a shoulder injury, sets up a second-round match tonight against top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
That may give Venus Williams an early dose of humility. Sanchez Vicario, ranked No.2 in the world, has won the French and U.S. opens this year and has the best return of serve in women's tennis.
Sanchez Vicario watched the first set of Williams' match against Stafford, then slipped next door to the Oakland Coliseum to watch the Rolling Stones in concert.
Williams, who had not played in a tournament since she was 11 because her father thought junior events would take her away from school, said she was not worried about facing Sanchez Vicario.
``I'm ready,'' she said. ``I think I have the game to beat anyone.''
By turning pro now, Williams is beating by two months an eligibility rule change by the Women's Tennis Association. Like Martina Hingis of Switzerland, who turned pro Oct.4, Williams will be able to play the pro tour without restrictions. If she had waited until next year, Williams would have to go through a phased-in schedule until she reached 18.
Williams also is making her debut on the indoor carpet, a surface slower than the sun-drenched hardcourts she's used to at her current home in Florida.
Against Stafford, the lanky 6-foot-1 teen-ager spent most of her time at the baseline, but came in more often than most women to put away volleys and mixed in drop shots and lobs.
Though she seemed tentative for much of the match, Williams displayed poise and power.
``I was surprised I was nervous,'' she said. ``But I wasn't surprised I can play [at the pro level].''
by CNB