Venus 22 who has been supplanted as the world No 2 by Belgium’s Kim Clijsters is even being

Venus, 22, who has been supplanted as the world No 2 by Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, is even being spoken of as an afterthought.With Justine Henin-Hardenne, also from Belgium, fourth in the rankings, a reporter from the land of Jean-Claude Van Damme muscled in yesterday with the suggestion that the games of Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne are more complete than those of the Williams sisters, and asked Serena if she agreed.”Sure, they’re more complete,” the defending champion replied, with the thinnest of smiles.There is no doubt that the Williams sisters can be beaten on clay, the sport’s slowest surface. In the last three years, Serena has lost five of her 31 matches on the surface, to Jennifer Capriati, Patty Schnyder, Henin-Hardenne (twice) and Am?e Mauresmo. During the same period, Venus has lost five out of 27 matches on clay, to Henin-Hardenne, Barbara Schett, Clijsters, Serena and Mauresmo.”It’s not difficult for me to play on clay at all,” said Serena, who is due to open the tournament today on Philippe Chatrier Court against Barbara Rittner, of Germany, whom she defeated, 6-4, 6-0, in their only previous meeting, in the second round at Wimbledon in 2001.”I love the clay,” Serena added “I actually can be lazier I don’t have to work as hard I can be out of the point and get back in the point I don’t remember it being all that tough [here last year]. I just remember winning my matches.”It feels great to be back. I feel this is where it all started for me, having an opportunity to win my first Grand Slam [title] for three years.

After that I gained a lot of confidence.”After winning the Nasdaq-100 Open on a rubberised concrete court at Key Biscayne in March, Serena admitted that she had not been practising hard enough. “I’ve been hanging out, relaxing, not working,” she said.But yesterday she almost leaped out of her chair and performed callisthenics when asked if she had been working harder “My fitness is unbelievable right now,” she said. “I don’t get tired.”The questioning then turned, predictably enough, to a review of Annika Sorenstam’s golf exploits in the men’s tour event in Fort Worth Texas. “I think she did really well,” Serena said, “proved a lot of points. I think it’s cool she was able to that.”The Williams sisters once accepted Karsten Braasch’s offer to play a set against each of them, and the German journeyman beat them back-to-back But Serena said yesterday: “I’m here to play female tennis I’ve never been involved in men’s tennis.

I wouldn’t even be tempted.”Amid the talk about potential winners here, Britain’s two representatives, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, are among the lower-key competitors, simply relieved to be fit enough to participate, having missed the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia.Rusedski will tomorrow play his first match since losing to Pete Sampras in the third round of the United States Open on 2 September last year. His opponent is Nikolay Davydenko, a 21-year-old Russian who reached the second round in his two previous visits to Roland Garros.Rusedski, who has only once progressed as far as the fourth round in seven previous visits, played a one-set warm-up yesterday against Vince Spadea, an American who, it may be remembered, ended a 21-match losing streak by beating Rusedski in the first round at Wimbledon in 2000.Spadea, who has played well on clay in Monte Carlo and Rome this season, won the set, 9-3, as part of the French Open’s charity day. The bonus for Rusedski was that he came through the exercise without feeling as much as a twinge in his feet, knees or neck. “I feel pretty healthy, but we could do with some sun here,” Rusedski said.