'Stranger things happened in World Cup,' says challenger from Wigan
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Your support makes all the difference.Today's game between Venus Williams and Jane O'Donoghue brings together the two ends of the tennis spectrum.
Williams, 21, the world No 1, is the defending champion, having won three of the five Wimbledon championships she has played in. Her sister, Serena, 20, is the world No 2. They are both coached by their father, Richard, who has become a public and controversial figure in his own right.
Venus's career winnings are estimated at $10m (£6.7m), a figure she has trebled in sponsorship deals. Reebok sponsors her clothes and she is surrounded by an entourage of advisers and bodyguards. She shares a Florida home with Serena and travels by private jet.
O'Donoghue, 19, from Wigan, the daughter of a PE teacher, is ranked 345 in the game and has won a total of about £10,000 in her career. This year she has won two singles titles, at Bournemouth and Hatfield, but has yet to find a clothes sponsor.
Lacking a high-powered coach, she normally arrives for matches with a few friends and members of her family. She travels to matches on public transport.
The perceived disparity between the two players is such that the bookmakers are offering odds of 200-1 on for Williams to win the match. But despite the overwhelming odds against her, O'Donoghue remained defiant yesterday. "Of course I have a chance," she insisted. Drawing on the surprise performances and unexpected victories in the World Cup, she added: "I have seen stranger things happen. You only have to look at the World Cup to realise that. I just have to go out there and believe in my ability and be aggressive and believe that I can win."
O'Donoghue, who had a premonition before the draw was made that she would be playing Venus in the first round, has at least taken her first, small step towards matching the vast off-court earnings of her opponent – she has just agreed an undisclosed sponsorship deal with Sure deodorant. She may be grateful for the product when she walks on to Centre Court today.
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