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Will We See Williams Versus Williams at Wimbledon?

Aired June 21, 2002 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Another major sports event, this one in the world of tennis is coming up. Wimbledon begins on Monday. Will we see Williams versus Williams in the women's competition? Who are some of this year's other key players? Rachel Nichols is a sports writer with "The Washington Post" and a contributor to "Tennis" magazine. She joins us live from New York with a preview.

Good morning.

RACHEL NICHOL, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So need I ask, will we see Williams versus Williams?

NICHOL: I think it's looking that way, right? They're number one on number two on either side of the draw, and they're both really playing well coming into this tournament.

The only other real woman to challenge them right now is Jennifer Capriati. She hasn't done as well on grass as the Williamses had in the last couple of years. I think they're both looking great for another match at the title.

COSTELLO: Are there any more exciting players that we should watch out for at Wimbledon this year?

NICHOL: Well, you want to watch on the men's side for Lleyton Hewitt, who's coming in as the number one. He's the first Australian to come in number at one at Wimbledon in a long time, and there's a lot of pressure on him after not doing so well at the French Open for him to really come out at Wimbledon, use his foot speed, be able to really run around the court.

On the women's side, though, you really are looking at Williams, Williams, Capriati. Maybe Justine Henin, who was the finalists from last year. She might be able to sneak in there, but that's really your favorite. Then of course we have the men on our side, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. People are always looking for them.

COSTELLO: Don't you find there's very little interest in the men's competition these days? I mean, really, most of the focus is on woman's tennis.

NICHOL: Yes, It's certainly a much different sport than it was just 10 years ago, with Pete, and Andrea, and Michael Chang and Jim Courier, where the guys -- now you have a guy like Pete Sampras who won his last tournament at Wimbledon, we're seeing here, two years ago. He hasn't been able to win anything since, and it's hard to see him winning again this year.

COSTELLO: So how long do you think the Williams sisters will be around, because they seem to dominate tennis now and for the foreseeable future.

NICHOL: I don't think that they will be around like Martina Navratilova, but I do think that they're going to be around for a long time. They're father said a couple of years ago that they might be in and out of the sport pretty quickly, but Venus and Serena have said they like this winning thing, they like making the money, they like collecting the titles, and they are going to be here.

COSTELLO: I'd like making the money thing, too. So which sister do you think will take the tournament?

NICHOL: I think Venus has the better chance going in, just because her height and reach give her a lot better chance on grass. I think Serena's obviously playing so well, doing so well at the French Open just a couple of weeks ago. But Venus has an advantage just because of her game.

COSTELLO: Yes, and Serena -- although Serena seems to have gotten her emotions in control, and that's certainly has made her play a lot better.

NICHOL: Yes, there's no question that Serena has the stomach for battle now. She used to really back down, especially against her sister. But she's -- I still think that on grass, her game isn't as good as Venus'. Venus approaches the net more. She scampers around, and she has got that long reach. Those arms come out at the net. People on the other side just duck.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Just to look at their powerful arms, it's scary.

NICHOL: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Tell me, how has the Williams sisters changed the world of tennis in general?

NICHOL: I think they're changed it in so many ways for the better. I mean, they've certainly popularized the sport more. There's a lot wider group of people watching the sport than they were, and they've also injected so much life into the game. Serena is so bubbly. She's got a great personality, great color. Venus is a little bit more serious, but she's got some beautiful parts to her game, and she's really a pioneer. I mean, she did what Tiger Woods did, but she kind of had to do it in maybe a little bit more difficult arena.

COSTELLO: Yes, at least the -- Mr. Williams, the dad, is kind of out of the picture. NICHOL: Well, I think we might see him back again at Wimbledon. But he's a little bit less of a factor now than he was a few years ago, and that's really just a function of the girls having grown out. Venus is 22 years old. Serena is 20 years old. And you can see, they're really young adults now, and they're well-rounded young adults. They both speak several languages. They read a lot. They go, and do and see, and they're there. And I think that's really great for tennis, because it's showing a kind of, sort of larger group of people what tennis players can be.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing what outfits they wear at Wimbledon.

NICHOL: Absolutely. Serena especially.

COSTELLO: She had that leather looking thing on in the last tournament.

NICHOL: Yes, and before that, at the beginning, she was wearing the national soccer uniform of Cameroon, so you never know.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. It will be exciting.

Thanks, Rachel, for joining us live this morning.

NICHOL: Thanks so much.

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