Dad Tells Venus to Quit

Ever since Richard Williams claimed that one of his five daughters - and it was neither Venus nor Serena - was taking a course in "part-time surgery" it has been impossible to take anything he says entirely seriously. And so his remark delivered to a Florida newspaper this week, that Venus, the reigning double Wimbledon and US Open champion, should quit tennis, will not raise a single eyebrow in a sport which is increasingly bored by his self-publicity.

Both his tennis-playing daughters have remained remarkably loyal to him, although they are rarely drawn into any protracted discussions about his more controversial statements.

On the eve of the Bausch & Lomb Championship at Amelia Island, Florida, where Venus is top seed, her father said she should focus more on business interests. "I told Venus two or three years ago that she should retire. I really think she should. She is a rare human being when it comes to education, business and business knowledge," he told the Florida Times-Union. "She is a rare quality that every now and then you see in life. I've tried to get Venus to understand that."

Serena also received her father's advice but it was rather less flattering. "Serena puts a little too much emphasis on her game of tennis," he said. "If she keeps that up, she can turn out to be one of the dumbest athletes in the world."

Williams pere has always put great stress on the education of Venus and Serena although, as is usual in the Williams world, fact and fiction are entwined. He has claimed both daughters are multilingual but there has been little evidence of this on their trips to Europe.

It is uncertain how much the sisters really enjoy tennis, though it is unlikely either will turn her back on the circuit yet, given the huge money to be made in a sport where the pickings are remarkably easy for the talented few.

</B> Tim Henman has recovered from the neck injury he suffered in Miami recently and Britain's No1 will compete in next week's ATP Masters Series event in Monte Carlo.

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