Venus finds off-court battle tougher

As often happens at Wimbledon when the seeded players cruise through the first round and nothing but the expected takes place on the court, off-court activities are drawn into the vacuum. And so it was that the apparent altruism of the Williams sisters Venus and Serena was questioned.

The issue arose over comments their father Richard made when he said that the only way England would produce a champion was if they turned their collective tennis minds to "the ghettos".

Cornering the market in this niche having brought both of his daughters from the Compton ghetto of Los Angeles to millionaire status, Williams was making a point that rang true.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) also believed this was a reasonable idea and engaged in talks. The LTA, somewhat angered, then admitted that the Williams had sought £100,000 for each sister for the project.

It was Venus who had to field the questions after she beat Shinobu Asagoes, pronounced as-a-GO-ee, 6-2, 6-3 in a match characterised by the ease of the victory and occasional lapses of concentration from Williams. Of the money issue there was more obfuscation than clarity.

"I don't know because I haven't read anything about it. So I wouldn't be able to make an educated opinion," she said, clearly not having seen the London Evening Standard nor engaged in any conversation with the LTA or her father.

"Also, if you don't know the answer," she said to the questioning journalist, "how could I? I just finished being a kid myself, so I'm just trying to grow up."

What is interesting is the coy attitude of Williams. There is nothing unusual with asking a body such as the LTA, the governing body of the sport in Britain, for a fee for work given that they currently employ former England and Arsenal footballer Ian Wright to encourage inner city kids to play tennis. A candid admission would probably have diffused the issue even if the asking price was a little high.

Now her sister Serena is likely to face the same question today as she plays her second-round match. That, in tandem with their father wandering around the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club distributing impromptu lectures and home spun pearls of wisdom to journalists and spectators alike, makes these two weeks quite a helter skelter ride for the family.

Departing the tournament was never a prospect for Venus against her 24-year-old Japanese opponent despite her occasional loss of concentration in the Centre Court match. The outcome was never in doubt, the principle question being how she can contain her wild bouts of errors.

"It's easy to lose focus, especially if you are winning easily. But I didn't have any issues with that at all. I just started going too much. I wanted every shot to be great and perfect. Sometimes you have to play 50 per cent not 100 per cent. I was able to crawl out of it," said the growing up kid.

Kim Clijsters, not even as grown up as Williams, continued to meet expectations after losing to Jennifer Capriati in the French Open final two weeks ago. The Belgian seventh seed allowed her Italian opponent Giulia Casoni only two moments of glory with two games in the second set, having won the first 6-0.

Clijsters, who watches a lot of men's tennis as a result of dating Australian Lleyton Hewitt, overpowered her 190-ranked opponent.

"I'm probably one of the few girls who can hit winners from a metre behind the baseline on clay courts as well," she said afterwards. "I don't really have that much patience. I like it here, the courts are quick here."

Clijsters bolted into the next round just minutes before third seed Linsday Davenport, who faces a potential knee problem as well as doubts surrounding her overall fitness.

Arriving with her leg bandaged, the American winner here two years ago was again led into talking about her close friend and doubles partner Corina Morariu, who is being treated for a rare and serious form of cancer.

That understandable concern was properly left in the locker room along with her tendonitis as Davenport despatched 108-ranked Martina Sucha 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour.

Jelena Dokic struggled in the first set gauging her strokes against Rossana De Los Rios before a dominant 6-1 second set.

Her father, the occasionally troublesome Damir, watched the outside court match dispassionately while puffing on a pipe that smoked like a chimney fire.

A complaint to a steward from a nearby spectator was gleefully watched by the entire press corps as the gent politely asked the "father from hell" to extinguish his pot.

Having just been received back into tennis tournaments two weeks ago after a lengthy ban, Damir obligingly conformed.