Just one day after Serena Williams was knocked out of the Australian Open, her sister Venus followed.  Venus fell last night to Ana Ivanovic in straight sets, much like her sister.  But it’s after the loss where things went in different directions.

We highlighted yesterday the comments made by Serena - the same comments she gives after every loss.  And so, we were careful to check the stories today to see if Venus acted the way we expected… a much better sport than her sister. 

And no, Venus did not let us down.

Here’s what Venus had to say after her match:  “She played well and hit a lot of good shots… so I give her a lot of credit.  I have nobody to blame but myself.”

That’s how it’s done.  There’s nothing wrong with saying you did not perform as well as you had hoped, but it’s also nice to see her give the opponent the right amount of praise.  Venus says her opponent “hit a lot of good shots.”  Serena says her opponent “hit a lot of lucky shots.”  See the difference?

Further, when asked about how her taped leg affected the match, Venus handled it well again, stating: “I don’t like that tape.  I don’t like wearing it.  But I think it helped me, if anything, for it not to get worse.  But I can’t blame my loss on that.  I think she just played some good tennis.”

Good work, Venus.  We will be rooting for you next time around!