A family thing and the rain

All we’ve got here so far are raindrops and Williamses, the latter much cheerier than the former.

This French Open with the leaky sky hadn’t really started even after its alleged second day, yet this French Open has reminded everyone how recent grand slams have suffered from a certain Williams-lessness.

Venus Williams turned up between splatters Monday on the main Court Philippe Chatrier, a fine sight in elegant black, her hair surfing over a black visor, her diligence showing in protracted rallies with a French teenager.

Grand-slam tennis patrons hadn’t seen her live since she risked exit in the second round of the 2006 Wimbledon and achieved it in the third. “I think the most important thing is that I’m on tour,” she said after winning Monday.

Having turned up Sunday on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Serena Williams turned up Monday in the stands watching Venus, looking so very Garbo with her head almost entirely covered with a blue and gold and white scarf.

“I guess it has been a long time,” she said Sunday.

You have to stretch back five majors to find one with a full dinner table of Williamses, to Australia in January 2006, with that a relative cameo that featured one round of Venus and three of Serena.

Serena Williams missed the 2006 French and Wimbledon because of her knee, Venus missed the 2006 U.S. Open and 2007 Australian because of her wrists, and ticket-buyers missed a lot of groundstrokes pounded into corners.

With their father, Richard, visible in the seats behind the baselines on both Sunday and Monday, and their mother Oracene Price looking weary on a bench outside the interview room waiting for the questions to cease, you can see Williamses everywhere, even if the clouds have decreed you can’t see much of Federers and Nadals.

They’re into the second round, these Williamses, which with the current rate of postponements and forecasted rain might transpire sometime in mid-June.

As 58 more matches went unplayed or unfinished Tuesday and spectators have become huddled masses in the vestibules of Roland Garros, the person really thrilled was Na Li of China, seeded No. 16, who trailed, 5-3, Monday against German Sandra Kloesel, got rain and said, “The rain, thank you for the rain.”

She won, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, as only really fast people have finished matches.

That included Nikolay Davydenko, seeded No. 4 whose 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 win over Italy’s Stefano Galvani required him to “break, break, break or play faster because coming rain.” It also provided the shocking reminder that the field includes 126 other men besides No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal.

Of the opinion among aficionados that he’s the foremost threat from among the 126, Davydenko said, “My reaction: It’s interesting, like feeling, I’m not bad player.... If Nadal and Federer scared of me, it’s really -- it’s nice.”

Other than that and a smattering of matches, we’re hearing only Williamses, or people who have just played Williamses, such as France’s Alize Cornet.

“She has very long legs,” Cornet said of Venus Williams after falling, 6-4, 6-3. “Sometimes I thought she was on one side of the court and all of a sudden she was on the other.”

The five-time major champion seeded 26th felt glad to be on any side of any court, with her year so far including a title in Memphis but grueling losses to Maria Sharapova in Miami (third round), Jelena Jankovic in Charleston (semifinal), Svetlana Kuznetsova in Warsaw (quarterfinal) and Aravane Rezai in Istanbul (second round).

“It bothered me for sure, yeah,” Venus said of those matches. “I’m a winner, and I’m used to winning most matches. So definitely losing any of those matches is like a foreign feeling. But I definitely count my blessings. I definitely expect just as much from myself. I still have the same big game and there’s nothing less.”

After Cornet sent one last backhand just long, Williams looked exhilarated for a first round as she headed for the handshake. She also looked elated when she did a one-on-one postgame interview with three-time French champion Mats Wilander, who carries a microphone for EuroSport. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said.

When Wilander asked about the calm that Williams’ parents show as they watch, Venus said, “I guess they believe in us. They really do believe that we’re going to come through in the clutch.”

Asked in the postgame news conference what they tell her anymore in their roles as coaches, Williams said:

“They say pretty much the same thing.”

“Which is?”

“The same thing.”

“Which is what?”

“The same thing, yeah.”

Indeed, the Williamses have returned.

“And as long as I’m on tour,” Venus Williams said, “I feel like really good things can happen to me.”

*

Day 2

A closer look inside the French Open:

Venus up next: American Ashley Harkleroad is 4-0 in first-round matches in Paris. She meets Venus Williams in the second round. “She’s not dominating like she used to,” Harkleroad said, “so it’s better to play her now than then, right?”

* Today’s top matches: Igor Andreev, Russia, vs. Andy Roddick (3); Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain; Jelena Jankovic (4), Serbia, vs. Stephanie Foretz, France.

Los Angeles Times