By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Venus and Serena Williams are on the mend after having their season derailed by injuries that allowed the sisters to sample life outside tennis. Since losing at a tournament in Beijing in September, Venus has resumed college classes in fashion design and Serena filmed an upcoming episode of the NBC drama "ER." They've also partied and evacuated their south Florida home for Hurricane Rita.

"Life is good," Venus said during a weekend WTA Tour party at Spago restaurant. "I've been able to see the other side of life a little more, but I'm really eager to get back and I'm really eager to be traveling and doing my thing that I'm used to doing." Both sisters have been rehabbing left knee injuries, and didn't qualify for the season-ending WTA Championships.

Venus played four events since winning Wimbledon in July, and finished the year with a 37-10 record. Serena, who won the Australian Open, also had a bad left ankle and played 28 matches, going 21-7. She skipped the French Open, was upset in the third round at Wimbledon, and lost to Venus in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. "It all started with my ankle. I didn't know I should be rehabbing my knee at the same time," Serena said. "I feel much better, I've just been working out."

Venus said her knee was good enough to play in Philadelphia two weeks ago, but she got the flu and withdrew. "I was ready to come back and with the illness, you can't just go from zero to one hundred," she said. "That would have been seriously detrimental for me to try to play. It's like jumping off a cliff."

Winning her third Wimbledon title was exciting, Venus said, "but it wasn't the highlight of my year. There's so many other things I was so excited about." Tops on her list was attending a 1980s-themed prom. "Seriously, it was the best time of my life," Venus said. "I had lace gloves. I was so '80s it was ridiculous; I was disgusted with myself." Neither sister attended public high school, so Serena threw a party with a high school theme. "We played all kinds of games like bobbing for apples," Venus said. "I don't get to do that, it was amazing. I took it so seriously."

Both sisters will start 2006 with an exhibition in Hong Kong before going straight into the Australian Open without playing an official warmup event. "I'd like to achieve health the whole year, stay strong and stay healthy and avoid the viruses," Venus said.

Source: yahoo.com