Viewpoint: What to expect from the Williamses' return

Serena Williams will play her first match next week in Eastbourne since winning Wimbledon a year ago. It's an event that warrants the gobs of attention it will generate; Serena has but days to prepare for her defense of tennis' most prized possession, and we haven't a hint of how she's hitting the ball. My guess? Pretty well. Like Roger Federer, Serena will always be a threat to win any tournament she enters and can't be overlooked under any circumstance.

We last saw Venus in Melbourne, retiring from her third-round match with a hip injury after one game. (AP Photo)

Lost in all this?overlooked might be the right word?is the simultaneous return of Serena's sister Venus, who hasn't played since January's Australian Open. Almost 31, Venus is considered old by tennis standards, but let's remember that 29-year-old Li Na just won her first Grand Slam title in Paris, and Francesca Schiavone did the same thing in 2010, when she was a year shy of 30. Venus isn't seeking her maiden major, of course; she's won seven of them in singles competition, five coming at the All England Club.

The last of those Wimbledon wins came in 2008. Since then, Serena has won five majors despite missing the past 11 months of action. That stat, coupled with the still-uncertain WTA landscape, leads many people to say she's still No. 1?and thanks to Wimbledon's subjective ranking system, she actually could be in a few days' time. If that's the case, Venus, with her loaded résumé and serve tailored for grass, should be No. 2.

But before we get to SW19, there's Eastbourne. Serena could lose 1-and-1 in her opening match and it wouldn't change my thoughts on her Wimbledon prospects. This is a woman who plays solely for the majors; last year, Serena played six tournaments and three of them were Slams. I'm more interested in Venus' performance, whose play at tour-level events has often been a strong indicator of her overall form. I also think Venus has more to prove than Serena. Critics have pointed to her slipping results as evidence of decline, but this is a woman who narrowly lost to Kim Clijsters in last year's U.S. Open semifinals and who just over a year ago was world No. 2.

After watching Clijsters win the 2009 U.S. Open and Justine Henin reach the 2010 Aussie Open final after extended hiatuses, it's not a stretch to think the Williamses could do something similar at Wimbledon. If I had to choose one, I'd go with Venus?simply put, this is her tournament. Serena has won it the past two years, but it would be foolish to ignore a five-time holder of the fittingly-named Venus Rosewater Dish.

This article was originally published on ESPN.com.

Source: http://feeds.tennis.com/~r/tenniscom-features/~3/7BBaGuGzIzs/

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