Venus set to rise on Canadian Open at Jarry

PAT HICKEY , The GazettePublished: Thursday, May 22, 2008

Venus Williams has been playing professional tennis since 1994, but the 27-year-old American has never set foot in Montreal.
She's hoping to change that with an appearance in the Rogers Cup Canadian Open women's event, July 26-Aug. 3 at the Jarry Tennis Centre.
"I've wanted to play in the event before, but it's never worked out," Williams said yesterday during a conference call from Paris, where she is preparing for next week's French Open.
"The tournament is only in Montreal every other year and there have been times when I've been entered, but I've had to withdraw because of injury."
In fact, Williams has seldom made the Canadian Open a priority, preferring to warm up for the U.S. Open by playing tournaments in her native California. Her only two appearances at the Canadian Open were in 1997 and '99 in Toronto and she lost in the first round on each occasion.
Injuries have been a major problem in Williams's career. There was a point when experts expected Venus and her younger sister to dominate women's tennis, but they have been plagued by injuries.
Serena reached the final in Montreal, but was forced to abandon the match vs. Monica Seles because of a knee injury.
"My health is good. I took some time off last month, but I've been training hard," Williams said.
Venus Williams has won 36 singles titles on the WTA Tour. She won her fourth Wimbledon title last summer and has won the U.S. Open twice. She also won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
The Rogers Cup is usually held in mid-August, but has been moved up this year because the Olympic competition in Beijing begins on Aug. 10.
With the event starting three weeks after Wimbledon and ending less than a week before the Olympics, the big question is: How many of the top players will be in Montreal.
Williams said she's still waiting to hear whether she will be selected for the U.S. team in Beijing, but said she will be in Montreal even if she is selected for the Olympic team.
Williams is the second player to be announced for the event. Tennis Canada previously announced that Ana Ivanovic will defend the title she won in Toronto last summer. Ivanovic is No. 2 in the WTA rankings, while Williams is No. 8.
Tournament director Eugène Lapierre said he expected a strong entry list, although past experience has indicated the full list - which will be released on June 18 - doesn't guarantee all the players will be here.
Lapierre said he wasn't hopeful Serena Williams will be on hand, because the sisters usually try to avoid head-to-head meetings outside the Grand Slam events.
He also noted he had spent several weeks trying unsuccessfully to reach Justine Henin, who announced her retirement last week.
"I couldn't reach her and now I know why," he said.