Woodbridge: The keys to Venus’ resurgence

Why is Venus Williams playing so well? I was asked that question recently and it’s an interesting one.

Looking back at her quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova, she never looked like she was going to lose that match. She was emotionally and physically in control, and we haven’t seen that from her for many years.

When I have watched her this year, I’ve seen a player who has been far more consistent off the ground than she used to be. It’s true: she’s not moving as quickly as she once did, but she’s more balanced over the ball than she’s ever been.

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She looks stronger, and core strength is part of the reason for her success. In the early stages of her career she was rangy, and her balance was all over the place. Now she’s found that balance and her swing paths are slightly smaller.

Momentum is another factor.

In a way, players feed off one another. The rejuvenation of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – and the success they have enjoyed this year – will have helped Venus. She will have looked at them and thought ‘I can do this’.

Like Roger, she plays a shorter schedule than most of the other players. That has its advantages, but can put her under enormous pressure to perform at Slams. However, she has shown that she can do that consistently this year.

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That’s because she’s a multiple Slam champion, and she is comfortable playing on the biggest stages. She gets to Arthur Ashe and says: ‘this is why I play and this where I’m at my best’. Players like Venus, Roger and Rafa have ownership of those stages and stadiums. They believe that they belong there, and that they deserve to win. That comes from the mountain of experience they have accrued over all of these years.

And now there’s almost the Federer-esque script from Australian Open coming through for her. It feels like, at the US Open, this is her moment to win another major.