But nevermind this travel babble.. I suppose what you really want is to hear what Miss Venus Williams is thinking, now that she's back on tour:
“I’m really, really excited. Before I came to Memphis, I was thinking 'I’m going to play a tournament'. When I got here, I’m like, I’m back in the swing of things,” Venus said. “It’s been a while, but I want to do well.”
Venus was extremely laid back during her press interview.
She said that she’s been working on some new tactics but won't be letting the cat out of the bag just yet. Venus also mentioned that she has been following Serena’s matches closely, and said she was living and dying by them.
She admitted that her playing schedule is a week-by-week decision based on her wrist, which she said was “pretty close to where I want it to be.”
Venus said she chose Memphis for her debut, instead of Dubai, because of tournament owner Mac Winker’s persuasion and also because of the Civil Rights Museum. The museum is located in Memphis and Williams knows her place in African-American history.
She mentioned that she was excited about playing Fed Cup, and wants to win, for team captain Zina Garrison.
The presser finished and Venus posed for many photos.
While a few reporters and I were jack-jawing, Robby Ginepri walked into the press room.
Credit me for being a smart girl. I wasted no time jumping up and introducing myself. He and I talked and he said Memphis was only about a five hour drive from home. Of course, being a five-hour gal, I asked him if he drove. He laughed and said no, he didn't.
After he left, a local television reporter -- looking dazed due to the the Ginepri effect -- asked me who he was. I told her, and added that Robby normally wears shorts and sleeveless shirts -- and that he has the muscles for it. I suspect that she’ll be making a return trip to the tournament.
Later, as another reporter and I were making our way to the cocktail party for Venus, I nearly ran into Ginepri again. This time he was in slightly fewer clothes, as he was headed to the gym.
The party for Venus was nice, but I ended up with the most unlikely dinner companion at my table: Richard Williams.
We spent much of dinner laughing because he told a lot of jokes, a talent he takes pride in. Williams said that he used to get paid a nickel per joke. I told the tennis dad that, based on the pitiful shape of some of the jokes, I needed to get a can and cut a slot in the top so he could pay us a nickel for each of them.
One of the ladies at the table asked him if he coached his daughters. He replied, “No, I fathered them.”
I asked him about his background and he told me that he played basketball while growing up in Shreveport, La. That is my hometown, and I didn’t hesitate to tell him that. We discussed Shreveport and he told me that one of the parks in the city is named after his mother. I know full well where that park is, too.
Ultimately I had to go, but before I left I told him what a treat it was to have dinner with him. And it was. It was a true Pop Tart Moment, but I didn’t have any with me and I knew I had to get back to the hotel to work.
Now, I’m about to tuck myself into bed because there’s plenty of tennis tomorrow. See y'all then!
--Lisa McDermott
