Venus Williams is here to win

Palm Beach Gardens ace may be an author and Dolphins owner, but at 29 her competitive desire hasn’t waned

Perhaps father really does know best.

For years, Richard Williams, eccentric father/coach of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams, was criticized for not allowing his daughters to play junior tournaments. He encouraged them to pursue other interests, such as fashion school, interior design or owning a piece of the Miami Dolphins.

Several of their younger contemporaries, such as Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, walked away in their mid-20s only to come back, and frustrated prodigy Nicole Vaidisova retired at 20 last week. But Serena and Venus, who are nearly 30 with 19 Grand Slam titles and over $50 million in earnings, aren't going anywhere.

"Serena and I have done some great career planning and really are at the peak of our tennis right now,'' Venus said.

She is seeded third at the Sony Ericsson Open, which began Tuesday with 12 lower-ranked women's matches on the outer courts.

"Tennis has been a sport [where] people play this insane schedule since [they're] 14 years old, and at 26, it's over. We really paced ourselves to be able to play great tennis as long as we want and as long as we're healthy, and obviously, still have the talent in our bodies. It's working out well for us.''

Although top-ranked Serena is sidelined with a knee injury, she has won three of the past five majors. Venus is ranked fifth and has won three consecutive events, including a lucrative exhibition match in New York. She's favored to win her fourth Sony.

Williams practiced on stadium court Tuesday ahead of her opening match Thursday night against 40th-ranked Sorana Cirstea, a Romanian who edged Michelle Larcher de Brito 7-5, 7-6 (9) Tuesday.

"I haven't played any of the sisters,'' said Cirstea, 19. "I grew up watching Venus. … I have to relax on court, just not look at her and hit.'"

Williams preferred to talk about her outside business interests including her book, "Come to Win,'' in which she interviewed famous people such as Bill Clinton, Magic Johnson, Condoleezza Rice and Denzel Washington about how sports helped them achieve success.

The title is appropriate.

"Win, win, win, win, win, win, win,'' Williams said when asked her goals. "Of course, I want the Dolphins to win, too. I can't wait for football season to get back on.''

Baby comes first

Ashley Harkleroad, who made a splash as a Playboy centerfold, returned to the Sony for the first time since 2008 when she was being rushed off the court to undergo ovarian surgery.

She married former tennis pro Chuck Adams and had a son, Charlie, last March 25. Playing with a protected ranking and her first match in 20 months, she drew tough Aussie Alicia Molik and was blown away 6-1, 6-1 in a first-rounder.

"I had no expectations,'' said Harkleroad, 24, with Charlie in her lap. "I'm just not ready now to put in the full commitment. I just wanted to come here and see how I felt. I enjoyed it.''

Qualies completed

American hopefuls Donald Young and Jesse Levine of Boca Raton were unable to secure one of the 12 qualifying spots open in the draw, going down respectively to two-time Delray Beach ITC champion Xavier Malisse and Yen-Hsun Lu.