Wimbledon in Brief: Hungry Venus thinks striking gold at 2012 Olympics is capital idea

Monday 22 June 2009 00:00 BST
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Venus Williams plans to play until at least the 2012 Olympics. Having watched rivals like Justine Henin take early retirement at the top of their games, the 29-year-old American is still hungry for success after contesting seven of the nine finals at the All England Club since the turn of the millennium. "I want to play the [2012] Olympics here," she said, referring to the tennis event which will be held at Wimbledon. "It's really not that far off. It's just, what, three years. So I definitely would love to be playing the Olympics here and representing [the US], going for more golds."

Since making her Wimbledon debut in 1997, Williams has seen top players like Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati fall victim to burnout. But Venus and her younger sister Serena still have the drive to win. "We often talk about that. Wonder what happened to them," said Venus. "We're still here and we're not leaving."

Unbeaten record helps Hewitt to stay positive

Lleyton Hewitt is feeling confident going into Wimbledon, according to his manager David Drysdale. The Australian, playing for the 11th time in SW19, has beaten his first-round opponent Robby Ginepri, of the US, five out of five times. "Whenever you've got a record that you've beaten someone a fair bit beforehand, it will always help," Drysdale said. "Lleyton is going to be very aware of the fact that it's been a long time since he and Robby played, but I'm sure he'll approach the match from a positive perspective." Drysdale said Hewitt's focus was on the first round. "He loves playing on grass, he loves playing at Wimbledon."

Perfect preparation gives Roddick best shot

Andy Roddick feels he has his best chance at Wimbledon for many years as he is not injured unlike in previous seasons. "I have come into Wimbledon a little banged up in the last couple of years," he said, "and maybe not coming in with the form that I wanted. I have been playing well this year and I feel comfortable on the grass. I also have experience of getting deep into Grand Slams, so you can only give yourself a shot. It would be amazing to win Wimbledon."

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