Venus returns with a win at the Luxembourg Open

Venus returns with a win at the Luxembourg Open

Venus Williams crushed Belinda Bencic 63 61 in her opening match at the 2012 Luxembourg Open.

Williams showed all her power, served strong and controlled the rallies with her big groundstrokes.

"My opponent played really well - she was ready from the first point," Williams said. "She was determined, fought for every point and didn't miss a lot - that was great though, because I got to hit a lot of balls. It was a great first round for me."

"I was playing with some problems at the Open - it was difficult to serve, and that's a huge part of my game," Williams said about her back injury. "But I have worked really hard to be able to be here, and I came planning to put some good serves in the box.

"I was happy with it today. Right now I'm going more for percentage than power, which is tough, because I really like hitting it hard! So it's 50-50 really."

"At this time last year I wasn't able to play tennis. I was watching from home. But it's all a learning process. You just learn to cope mentally and physically - one of the biggest things I've learned this year is to focus on the things I can accomplish, as opposed to the things I wasn't able to accomplish. Sometimes I would think about what I couldn't do and I'd get very upset. I've learned from it.

"I've never felt as bad as I did last summer. I hope to never go there again. It's not something that goes away, but from last year to now is a huge difference.

"I'm still moving and I'm still improving my game, so I'm thankful."

"My whole goal this year was to have a gold medal," she said. "The whole season was really exciting, but especially the Olympics. I feel really excited about what Serena and I did there - it made my year perfect. I couldn't have asked for more.

"I love tennis. I have the opportunity to play, so I'm going to play. And I'm so motivated by the Olympics - 2012 isn't over and I'm already thinking of 2016."

Bencic, who is just 15 years old and was able to break Venus in one opportunity was excited to play Williams.

"It was a very great experience to play against Venus in my first WTA main draw," she said. "I was excited when I saw the draw. There were things I could have done better, but I'm happy how I did. She's a pro and is so calm on the court. I learned a lot today."

Williams was just as complimentary. "If she keeps working and training hard, and she fights hard like she did today, she can do very well. The sky's the limit."


Source WTA