Venus in Wonderland

Updated on: 20 January,2011 08:42 AM IST |
AFP |

Venus Williams reached into the world of make-believe during her amazing comeback win over unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday

Venus in Wonderland

Venus Williams reached into the world of make-believe during her amazing comeback win over unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday.

Wearing a self-designed dress based on "Alice in Wonderland", Williams lived out her own fantasy as she recovered from a painful groin injury to overcome the gallant Zahlavova 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-4.

"The outfit is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Don't laugh," she said. "It's kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the hole, the rabbit hole, she finds all these things that are so surprising."

"I put a lot of thought into my dresses," she continued. "I love fantasy, and this was kind of a way to express who I am on the court."

With the tense first set deep into a tie-break, Williams hit an overhead backhand on set point then screamed in pain as she strained a muscle in her groin. "In recent time that I can remember pain, I think this was one of the toughest ones for sure. But I just wanted to stay on the court and try to survive and see if I could feel better another day," she said.

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