Serena & Venus: They're not going anywhere

The tennis world hasn't seen all that much of the Williams sisters this season, or last, for that matter. Don't plan on them going away.

Serena won her first-round match Tuesday night over Bojana Jovanovski, 6-1, 6-1, before a grateful crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium that was pleased to see her back after missing last year's tournament. Venus won her first match Monday and has a tough draw against Sabine Lisicki Wednesday.

The sisters have played professional tennis since the mid- 1990s, put airliner mileage on their legs and earthmover torque on their joints. Serena has battled a bad knee since 2003, among other problems, and Venus' list of injuries would fill a Gray's Anatomy page. Their major championship careers fill a book.

Despite injuries and illness and age (Venus is 31 and Serena turns 30 on Sept. 26), both say they will be around a long time, and Venus seems determined to stay up with her younger sister.

Serena had a scary February with a pulmonary embolism, that coming after a deep cut to her foot last July that required two surgeries. Venus has had abdominal muscle problems and a viral infection this summer that she wouldn't identify. Between them, they have played in eight tournaments.

Yet here they are at the Open, and they are looking forward to many more. Being the most successful sister-sister act in the game keeps them motivated. "We both enjoy it," Serena said. "If Venus were to stop, I'd still probably keep playing. The way I feel right now, I definitely will still go.''

Given how she has come back this summer, with a fourth-round finish at Wimbledon and two hard-court titles, Serena has plenty of her own motivation and is giving off vibes to her older sister.

"I think how she's played has been amazing," Venus said. "It was definitely motivating to see her play so well this summer. But I know she can play. She knows she can play. I know I have it in me also."

Yes, but what if her younger sister retired?

"She could never do that to me," Venus said. "We have to go out together . . . We're going to play past the limit anyone has ever played, and when our singles game goes, we'll continue to dominate in doubles . . . Right now, the end is really not in sight."

Li upset in straight sets

Li Na, the French Open champion, was bounced out by unseeded Simona Halep of Romania, 6-2, 7-5. "I think it's a terrible feeling," she said. "Two years in a row, first round here, first round Indian Wells, Miami. I mean, normally I like hard court a lot."