A WTA women's roster that sent a broadly patchwork field of candidates to Roland Garros -- and ended up enabling one of the most delightful ascensions in recent memory with the championship victory of Li Na -- will have some order restored in the run-up to Wimbledon with the added presences of both Venus and Serena Williams. Both sisters intend to play in next week's Aegon International tourney in England's south coast town of Eastbourne, to condition themselves for tournament play in the run-up to the sumer's main event at the All-England Club.
Venus has been out of tour play since withdrawing from the third round of the Australian Open with a strained psoas muscle, while Serena has taken a much more circuitous comeback route since injuring her foot following Wimbledon last year, and developing a blood clot in her lung this past spring.
Despite her long layoff, and her four Wimbledon titles to Venus' five, recall that because she's been in a walking boot for most of this year, it's easy to forget Serena's actually the defending champ of the Championships. Barring injury, expect her to emerge as an early favorite regardless of her play at Eastbourne.