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Williams Sisters Are Athens-Bound

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Serena and Venus Williams (search) plan to compete at the Athens Olympics (search) despite injuries that forced them to pull out of recent tournaments.

"They've both been working hard and doing their rehab," U.S. Olympic tennis coach Zina Garrison (search) told The Associated Press on Thursday in a phone interview from Houston.

"I've actually spoken directly to Serena, and she's fine," Garrison added. "As far as Venus, I've spoken to her agent and one of her sisters. They are both still looking forward to going."

The sisters will be defending their 2000 doubles gold medal during the Aug. 15-22 tennis tournament on hard courts in Athens, and Venus will try to win a second straight Olympic singles championship. Serena also is entered in singles.

But both have been hurt lately, extending the string of injuries that have hampered them for about a year.

Serena withdrew from last week's WTA Tour event in San Diego and this week's tournament in Montreal because of swelling in her left knee. She had surgery to repair a partial tear in that knee Aug. 1, 2003, and was sidelined for eight months.

"On the advice of my doctors and physical therapists, I have made the difficult decision to give my knee more time to fully recover," Serena said last weekend.

Venus pulled out of the San Diego tournament before her first-round match because of a sprained right wrist. That injury forced her to quit during her semifinal against Lindsay Davenport at Carson, Calif., last month.

She missed the last half of 2003 with a stomach muscle injury.

"Both of them, unfortunately, had had some injuries. But it was good that their focus was to pull out of their tournaments to be ready for the Olympics and give themselves a shot," Garrison said.

"Well, bad for the tournaments, but good for the Olympics."

While Kim Clijsters will miss the Athens tournament after left wrist surgery, top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne recently said she will compete there after missing time with a viral infection.

Some members of the U.S. men's tennis team have injuries, but all are expected to be in Athens: Mardy Fish (back injury), Taylor Dent (strained right calf), and Vince Spadea (back injury).