Courier, Garrison differ on Williams sisters

Jim Courier, four times champion of a Grand Slam tournament, and former Wimbledon runner-up Zina Garrison on Tuesday offered opposing views on the Williams sisters and their lack of enthusiasm for playing against one another.

"I want to see them play against each other for real," said Courier, who was helping to launch a youth tennis promotion at the National Tennis Centre with Garrison.

"Not just as an aspect of sibling rivalry. They've got to get past the fact they are playing a sister," the double French Open and Australian Open winner added.

Venus, 20, and Serena, 19, often avoid entering the same tournaments to sidestep possible sibling showdowns.

At Indian Wells earlier this season the crowd turned ugly after Venus pulled out of a semifinal against Serena at the last minute, citing an injury.

"I think it is very unfair criticism they are getting, considering they are sisters and are so close," said 1990 Wimbledon finalist Garrison, who has also coached the Williams sisters in FedCup and on the 2000 Olympic team.

"People don't know how hard it is to play your sister. When you're best friends on tour it's tough. I grew up with Lori McNeil. It was very tough to play her."

Courier, who will be trying his hand at television commentary this summer at Wimbledon, said he empathized with the Williams' dilemma but added that they needed to get past their reluctance to play against each other.

"They are going to be playing each other all their careers," Courier said. "They are among the best players in the world. I know they hate playing each other. Emotionally it's very difficult. They love each other so much."

He believes feelings have got in the way of competition.

"When they have played each other they have played mediocre tennis," Courier said, adding that he longed to see what fireworks would fly if they played each other at their highest level.

Garrison said knowing each other, and each other's games, so well made it much harder to raise the quality of tennis on the court.

"You know their style, their trends, their idiosyncrasies, their mannerisms," Garrison said. "Usually one player will dominate one set and then the other picks up. There is usually a third set.

"Whoever that day woke up on the better side of the bed usually wins.

"It's not an easy situation. At Wimbledon last year it was really, really tough to sit there and watch what they were going through," she said of the all-Williams semifinal won easily by eventual champion Venus.

"There's more pressure than people are aware of."

Garrison said there was no question about the Williams sisters' competitiveness.

"When Serena won the U.S. Open (1999) that definitely spurred Venus on. If Venus should get to be number one, then I'm sure Serena will do everything to get there herself."