Venus Williams joined sister
Serena in making an early exit from the French Open as she crashed out
to third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round.
Roland
Garros was still abuzz with Virginie Razzano's stunning victory over
the title favourite, handing Serena her first ever defeat in the opening
round of a grand slam.
Venus'
6-2, 6-3 loss was certainly not in the same category, indeed it would
have been a shock had she won given her health problems, lack of match
action and the fact the match was being played on clay.
Agnieszka Radwanska completed a memorable win against Venus Williams
Even at Venus' best, Radwanska would
have been a big obstacle. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a terrific 2012 so
far, winning titles in Dubai, Miami and Brussels, and is rightly
considered a real contender here.
Venus
produced far too many errors to trouble a player of Radwanska's
consistency and speed around the court, and, although she found some
form towards the end of the match, her revival was short-lived.
Venus
was playing her first grand slam since pulling out of the US Open last
summer following a diagnosis of the auto-immune condition Sjogren's
Syndrome.
She made no
attempt to hide the fact she is still struggling physically, but felt
she had achieved her objectives here, with her first-round victory
almost certainly guaranteeing her qualification for the Olympics in
London.
Venus Williams leaves the court following her defeat
Reflecting on the match, the
31-year-old American said: 'I felt like I played. That pretty much sums
it up. This tournament for me was all about getting to the Olympics. If
that happens for me, I think the chances are good, then I come out a
victor.
'She played
really well. It's important to put the ball in the court. She chased
down a lot of shots. That's what you have to do on this surface.
Unfortunately I wasn't at my best today.'
Williams
has three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in doubles, and
is set to defend the women's doubles title she won four years ago with
Serena in Beijing.
She
said: 'The ultimate dream for me would be to be able to play both. I
have to see and see what I'm selected for. Maybe (women's) doubles and
mixed (doubles) is better for me. Any medal in any event, even if it was
the javelin, that's a medal.'
The
American remains upbeat despite her health problems, saying: 'I'm still
playing professional sport, so I have to be very positive.
'And
I'm going to have ups and downs. I haven't gotten to the "Why me?"
stage yet. I hope I never get there. I'm not allowed to feel sorry for
myself.'
Richard Williams and his wife Lakeisha Graham observe matters
The sisters share a house in Florida, and Venus revealed Serena has joined her in changing her diet to help make things easier.
Daily Mail