If there is one thing that is definite when tennis returns to Wimbledon for the London Olympics, it is Serena Williams will be the favorite in the women's category. And the younger Williams sister will be desperate to add the only real title missing from her cabinet, an Olympic gold medal in the singles.
The American completed her remarkable recovery from a long-term injury by clinching the most coveted Grand Slam on the grass courts of the All-England club a couple of weeks ago. Her win over Agnieszka Radwansksa was filled with all her authority and dominance, not witnessed in a Grand Slam for a few years.
While she is the overwhelming favorite for the singles title, nothing should stop her from winning the doubles gold, when she team's up with elder sister Venus - and of course the Williams sisters won the doubles crown at Wimbledon. The sisters are also the defending champions, having won the title four years ago in Beijing.
Coming into the year's third Grand Slam, Serena could not have imagined a better Wimbledon; completing a double, after suffering a shock first-round loss in the French Open, the 30-year-old showed exactly why she is considered one of the greatest women's tennis players of all-time.
When the younger Williams is on song, there is nobody with the weapons to stop her in the modern game, apart from ironically, her elder sister. But Venus is desperately struggling from Sjogren's syndrome, the incurable auto-immune disease that causes tiredness and weakness.
Only Maria Sharapova or an inspired Petra Kvitova is capable of stopping the Serena juggernaut. If the two Eastern European players do not perform at their best, much will also depend on the draw, Serena will leave London with two sparkling gold medals.
"I played two Olympics, which is pretty awesome, and have two gold medals, which is even better," Serena told reporters.
"I can't wait to go for gold in London. I can't lay all my hopes and dreams on just that (an individual gold medal), but it would mean a lot. I would like to try to get one.
"I really wish I could have gone to Athens. As a tennis player you get to play Grand Slams. The Olympics are an added bonus."
Serena has won two golds with Venus in the Sydney and Beijing Games in the doubles, but is yet to taste victory in the singles event, after suffering a shock loss in the final of the last edition of the Olympics to Elena Dementieva.
The tennis tournament at the All-England club this time will definitely be more colorful, as players are not needed to adhere to the strict white clothing rule of the Grand Slam tournament.
"It definitely will be weird playing in colors," Serena admitted.
"Even when I'm playing on other grass courts I feel I should be playing in white. It's going to be a little bit of a sad moment for me."
It shouldn't deter her too much though, because the only color that will be of any real concern for the American will be the gold dangling around the neck of the winner of the singles event.
