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The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
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AFP - Getty ImagesBackhand
I think that Serena and Venus are very even on the backhand. Bottom line is that they both have awesome backhands, and that to me is their most solid shot -- the money shot they can count on in a match.
Edge: even.
Fitness
Venus is in much better shape than Serena. Venus had the flu this summer, but outside of that she's been without injury. I think Serena came to Wimbledon not as fit as she could or should be, and she’s even admitted that to be true. She’s certainly not anywhere near the form she was at during her peak in the sport, or for that matter, even at the Australian Open this year.
Edge: Venus.
Strategy
Honestly, I can’t really think of anything that differentiates one sister from the other in this category. Venus and Serena can both play aggressively, and that’s when they play at their best.
Where they tend to get into trouble is if they start to guide the ball and become a little too defensive and it's there that their games could fall apart. Their strategy is to be offensive from the serve, and to do so right from the first ball of the match.
Edge: even.
Mental Toughness
This really depends on which year we’re talking about since both Venus and Serena have gone through periods when they were so solid on mental toughness. In 2000 and 2001, it was Venus who was so mentally tough. At break points in matches, she could at will pull out of her hat big serves and shots. And then Serena got more mentally tough than Venus in 2002 and 2003.
This year we've seen mental toughness from Serena at the Australian Open -- there was no doubt that she won that title because of her mental toughness and her determination more than anything else. Serena said she hadn't practiced that much going into the Australian Open, but she was just so determined it led her to a title.
And then we saw the same thing from Venus at Wimbledon. It’s just so hard to give either one the mental-toughness edge if they’re both on their game and into a major. We don’t know what attitude they will both bring into this match. When there both at their best, they are equal in mental toughness. But the question is whether they will both be at their best for this match?
Edge: even.
And the winner is...
I think the difference in this match is that Venus is healthy, and is coming off a fabulous championship at Wimbledon. Venus has been playing more consistently throughout the year.
And I don’t think that Serena is anywhere near as fit as Venus is at the moment, and because of that I don’t think her mobility is good enough on the court to beat Venus.
So I give the edge in this match to Venus because of Serena’s lack of play due to injuries. Certainly, if this match goes to three sets, Serena will definitely be in trouble
My pick: Venus.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
