Left, Vassil Donev/European Pressphoto Agency; Right, Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Serena, left, and Venus Williams will meet in the women's singles finals at Wimbledon.
All,
The magnificent Venus and Serena Williams--the greatest sibling duo in sports history--have once again accomplished the impossible in tennis by soaring to the finals of both the singles AND doubles championships at Wimbledon in London, England. Their singles championship match on saturday morning, July 5, 2008 will be a record setting seventh time that the two of them have faced each other in a Grand Slam tournament and will also mark the seventh time in the last nine years that the Williams sisters have appeared in and won this highly prestigious event. Venus, 28 (known very affectionately among rabid tennis fans as 'The Queen') will be vying for her 5th Wimbledon crown (a feat that if accomplished on saturday would make her only the third woman in modern tennis history to win more than four times at Wimbledon) and her equally dynamic and charismatic younger sister Serena, 26 will be trying to win her third Wimbledon title.
Never in the annals of American or international sports generally--let alone tennis--have there ever been two siblings who have so dominated their sport or done it in such a spectacular, dramatic, and awe-inducing style as the two African American wunderkind from the city of Compton, California. Since they both officially entered the professional U.S. Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1997 Venus and Serena have amassed many of the most extraordinary records in the history of tennis. Some of which include:
- Serena is the only active tennis player today--male or female--who has won all four Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, & U.S. Open) on all three playing surfaces (i.e. hardcourt, clay, grass)
- Venus holds the best career winning record of all active women players at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and has the highest overall winning percentage (.890) of any female player in Wimbledon history
- Between them the sisters have won 22 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles and in 2000 won three gold medals in tennis for the United States in the Olympic Games in singles and doubles (they will again both be participating for the U.S. in tennis at the Olympics in Beijing, China this summer as well)
- Venus holds the world record for fastest tennis serve at all four Grand Slam events
- Venus has appeared in more Grand Slam finals (13) in her career than any other tennis player alive--male or female--other than the world's most dominant tennis player Roger Federer who has appeared in 15 finals!
- Serena has won eight Grand Slam singles titles and Venus has won six, and as doubles partners they have won six Grand Slam titles and have swept all four Grand Slam doubles events
On early Saturday morning (9AM--EST and 6AM--PST) July 5 we owe it to ourselves as lovers of art, beauty, competitive sports, drama, and cultural/social history to tune in on NBC and witness another unprecedented event in American history. The Williams Sisters are an extremely rare phenomenon that we most likely will never see again in our lifetime. So long live Venus and Serena for bringing such magisterial grace, power, style, athletic prowess, and strategic brilliance to the game of tennis and most importantly to our lives as inspiring and outstanding African American public figures who embody excellence and creative achievement in everything they do both on and off the court. Long may they reign!
Kofi
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREYKofi
Published: July 4, 2008
New York Times
WIMBLEDON, England — Standing on the now-patchy grass of Centre Court on Thursday and smiling at her family in the players’ box with delight and a bit of relief in her eyes, Serena Williams was also looking at the only woman left who can stop her from winning a third Wimbledon title.
That would be her older sister Venus, who will try to win her fifth singles title at the All England Club.
It has been five years since the Williamses played each other for a Grand Slam trophy, five years since Serena beat Venus here in straight sets in the 2003 final; five years since the sisters dominated their sport and the rest of the field was trying in vain to catch up to their power, athleticism and self-belief.
This summer, on the English grass, they have resynchronized their careers, surviving a wild, upset-filled Wimbledon in style to turn Saturday’s final into a family affair once more.
“I’m definitely surprised,” Serena said of the five-year gap. “It’s definitely been awhile. Unfortunately, our ranking fell. We’ve been on the same side of the draw a few times. You know, unfortunately, I lost a lot. But it’s good. I mean, this is a new start for us.”
Some of the Williamses’ longtime rivals, like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis, retired young. The primary rivals who remain, like Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic, were ambushed early here.
But Venus, 28 and seeded seventh, and Serena, 26 and seeded sixth, have swept through their draws without dropping a set.
Venus, the defending champion, went first Thursday, serving and moving impressively to defeat fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, a Russian with great ground strokes but a suspect serve and nerve, by 6-1, 7-6 (3).
Serena went next against the unseeded surprise of the tournament: Zheng Jie, a stocky Chinese baseliner better known until now for her doubles prowess.
The two women had to work their way through two rain delays — the first one brief, the second more than an hour. Although Zheng lifted her compact, counterpunching game to a remarkably high level in the second set, she could not quite manage to push Serena into a third. Serena closed out the victory, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
“I knew there were millions and millions of people watching me back home,” said the 24-year-old Zheng, the first Chinese woman to play in a Grand Slam semifinal in singles. “I did really want to win. But over all, I’m quite satisfied with the performance that I had today. But her serve was too big for me, especially on the grass court.”
Serena finished with 14 aces and won 87 percent of the points when she put her first serve into play. But Zheng did adjust to the power as the match progressed, prevailing frequently in the extended rallies.
She had her lone set point with Serena serving at 5-6, 30-40 in the second set. Serena even provided Zheng with a second serve to return, but Zheng took a big swing with her backhand and struck the ball into the top of the net.
Serena then swept the next two points and finished off the game with an ace to make the score 6-6.
It was a harbinger of more clutch serving. Williams slammed three more aces in the tie breaker to take a 5-2 lead. Zheng clawed back to 5-5, but Serena hit a first-serve winner to make it 6-5. On match point, Zheng double-faulted into the net.
“She definitely pushed me,” Serena said. “She played a great game and played like she had nothing to lose, which she didn’t.”
The mystery now is how the sisters will respond to playing to each other. “We’re going to stop talking to each other now until the final,” Serena said jokingly.
That would be difficult, considering that they are sharing a house here. They are also in the doubles semifinals and scheduled to play Friday. But Saturday’s singles match, the seventh Grand Slam final between the sisters and their third at Wimbledon, is the one that matters most.
Serena leads their series, 8-7, but many of their encounters have been error-filled, awkward affairs in which neither the crowd nor the combatants were able to give full throat to their emotions.
But the Williamses’ most recent encounter — in the semifinals in Bangalore, India, in March — produced one of their best matches, which Serena won in a third-set tie breaker.
There have been suggestions in the past, never proved, that the Williamses decided within their tennis family which sister would win their matches. The Williamses have always scoffed at such allegations, but the issue resurfaced Thursday when Dementieva analyzed the final by saying, “For sure, it’s going to be a family decision.”
On Thursday, Venus reacted angrily to any suggestion of an arranged result. “I find the question pretty offensive, because I’m extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court,” she said. “I contribute my best in my sport, and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family. So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for and my family.”
Dementieva later issued a signed statement clarifying that she had been misunderstood.
“English is not my first language, and I apologize for not speaking it better,” Dementieva said in the statement. “I do not think for one second that matches between Serena and Venus Williams are family decisions. What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be in, to be playing for a Grand Slam title.”
Dementieva was erratic and ineffective early in her first Wimbledon semifinal. Venus pounced on her relatively slow, sliced serves and broke her three times in the opening set.
Like Serena, Venus put more than 60 percent of her first serves in play. She was also a regular and dangerous presence at the net.
“As always, to win a title, you’ve got to play aggressive and not just hope that your opponent misses,” Venus said.
Anja Niedringhaus / Associated Press
Venus Williams of the US reacts after winning her semifinal match today against Russia's Elena Dementieva on the Centre Court at Wimbledon
TENNIS
Venus Williams, Serena Williams will play for Wimbledon title The sisters who grew up in Compton will meet for the first time since 2003 in a Grand Slam event final.
By Chuck Culpepper
Special to The Los Angeles Times
July 4, 2008
WIMBLEDON, England -- It's worth repeating after all this time that the two people who will play for one of the most coveted titles on earth belong to the same immediate family, and that it's amazing that such a thing could occur, and that it's simultaneously ticklish.
After all, when Venus Williams, 28, plays her sister Serena Williams, 26, for the Wimbledon championship Saturday, it's a scenario so distinct and otherworldly that even their own father, who crafted their careers, says he can't bring himself to attend.
"I think it'll be a fistfight, but I won't be here," Richard Williams said Thursday just after the semifinals. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning. You know I can't take that. I don't have enough Bayer."
That means aspirin, and aspirin has been known to abet heart health, and pere Williams claims that when his daughters played in the U.S. Open, he could watch only two points before he began to suffer palpitations, a worry exacerbated by Hank Aaron's presence nearby, seeing as how Richard Williams didn't want to collapse in the presence of Aaron.
He'll fly home then, before this thing, and reckons he'll spend Saturday morning away from any television. "I have a boat," he said. "It's a 19-foot boat. It's the first boat I ever had in my life."
He'll be seaborne, while the finalists' mother, Oracene Price, and sisters, Isha and Lyndrea, watch the first Williams-Williams Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2003, back when it seemed they might play every Grand Slam final into eternity.
"He can't take it," Isha Price said. "For them to play each other, he feels like that's it for him. This is what he wanted."
It's so unusual, Isha said Thursday, because after that 2003 final, which Serena won, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, to give her five finals wins over Venus in the world's previous six Grand Slams, the whole family went out to dinner. "It was intense," Isha said. "It was weird. . . . My older sister [Yetunde] was here. That was the last one she was able to come to" before her death.
"But you know what's the cool thing about it, they've both won here," Isha Price said, referring to Venus' four Wimbledon titles and Serena's two. "Both their names are on the Venus Rosewater dish. . . . As far as we're concerned, they both won."
Oddities abound. Here's the final between two siblings clearly, unusually close, with Isha saying it's because Venus is the innate protector and Serena the self-confessed baby who must get what she wants. What two finalists share a flat throughout Wimbledon? What two finalists have breakfast together on the morning of the final?
The peculiar stresses of playing a sister for a major title probably have contributed to the impression that their previous nine Grand Slam matches (Serena leads, 5-4) and six finals (Serena, 5-1) haven't yielded sublime quality. Both scoff at that and point to their 2003 Australian Open final, which Serena won 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4.
"I really played the best I could and she was just better," Venus said. "I mean, there were a series of matches where she was just better than I was at that point, you know, on that day. She was definitely on a high.
"I had just come off a couple of years of just winning everything. I was tired. And then she had just come off a couple of years of not winning anything and she was more prepared."
That's where they stood in 2002-03, before five years of injuries and hiatuses and outfits and questions and occasional crests at Grand Slam trophy presentations. Now, suddenly, seeded Nos. 6 and 7, they've torn through a gutted-out tournament with games so airtight that neither has lost a set.
"We're good at this now," Serena said. "We just leave everything out on the court."
And the father who can't bring himself to watch says his own late mother from rural Louisiana would say, "Hallelujah," Richard Williams said. "I'm almost sure that's what she would say."
WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL Williams sisters against the world
Serena Williams (photo)
KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
TheStar.com
by Damien Cox
July 4, 2008
LONDON–Some would prefer that Venus and Serena Williams weren't as close as sisters can possibly be. A little familial angst, maybe, or perhaps one accused of stealing the other's boyfriend.
But that's just not the way it is. They have always stuck together and supported one another through their spectacular, roller-coaster careers. When they come to Wimbledon, they live together and this year are playing doubles and have made the semifinals.
That said, they promise to turn into enemies tomorrow on Centre Court. Well, sort of.
"Once we get out there, it's every Williams for themselves," Venus said yesterday.
"We're going to stop talking right now," said Serena, but then broke out into giggles.
Both, as expected, won their semifinal matches yesterday in straight sets, although Elena Dementieva pushed Venus to a tiebreaker in the second set of their match and Serena was similarly forced to contest a second-set tiebreaker before subduing Zheng Jie of China.
Thus, tomorrow they will meet for the fourth time in the Wimbledon women's final, a collision that was anticipated as soon as the top seeds started dropping last week.
They last played in the final at the All England Club in 2003, a three-set match in which Venus was forced to play through hip and abdominal injuries and eventually lost. She did play, however, quieting the murmurings that had been going on in the tennis world that the results of meetings between the sisters were somehow pre-determined by their father, Richard.
"I felt like I had to take one for the team," Venus said after the match when asked why she tried to play through her injuries.
Sadly, those murmurings emerged again yesterday after Dementieva, asked to predict a winner between the two before Serena had even defeated Zheng, said it would be a "family decision." When that was taken by some journalists as a suggestion that the outcome would be orchestrated, Dementieva quickly released a clarification.
"English is not my first language," the Russian veteran said. "I do not think for one second that matches between Serena and Venus Williams are family decisions. What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be in to be playing for a Grand Slam title. I cannot imagine what it must be like."
Venus, asked about the earlier quote before the second Dementieva statement, seemed not to take any offence at her opponent but only at the journalist who asked the question.
"Any mention of that is extremely disrespectful of who I am, what I stand for and my family," she said brusquely.
In all, the sisters have played 15 times, with Serena winning eight of the matches, including Wimbledon finals in '02 and '03. Venus defeated her sister at the All England Club final in 2000 and is the defending champion.
Their most recent match was earlier this year at Bangalore, India, a hotly contested battle won by Serena in a third-set tiebreaker.
Venus, meanwhile, is right. Any suggestion that they don't play hard against each other, or agree who will be the winner beforehand, not only lacks a shred of evidence but is incredibly disrespectful of the two Grand Slam champs.
"We're good at this now," Serena said. "We just leave everything out on the court. This is the finals of Wimbledon. Who doesn't want it?"
What may be true – Dementieva got this part right – is that neither sister seems to scream as loudly or display the same kind of hardnosed aggression when they play each other.
"I think we could see a better game, I mean, if one of the sisters has to face someone else," Dementieva said.
But that's up to the rest of the women's tour, which did not shine very brightly during the past fortnight. Wimbledon itself seemed to sense the lack of interest in the women's draw this year by shunting stars like the Williams sisters and Jelana Jankovic to side courts while lower-seeded men played on Centre Court.
For now, however, it's the two sisters from Compton, Calif., on Centre Court, together again on top of the tennis world.
