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The perils of sisterhood
Posted: Thursday July 06, 2000 04:13 PM
Little sisters are used to getting their own way. When they don't, it can all end in tears. Such was the case for Serena Williams here at Wimbledon on Thursday. She desperately wanted a place in the final and ultimately that coveted Ladies' Champions shield. But big sister Venus took that chance away from her on Centre Court -- and there was no Mommy or Daddy to turn to for help. Mom was back home in the U.S. Dad was in the country, but not courtside. "Younger siblings often get what they want," said Venus. "I want the ice cream. 'Venus, give her the ice cream,' say Mom and Dad." But Venus, as the older sister, hasn't always had the rough end of the deal. She hasn't always suffered at the hands of a spoiled youngest sister. "I think that as a big sister, I was always able to get things first," said the Wimbledon finalist. "Got my car first, you know, went to school first, things like that. Driver's license first. So, you know, for like the little sister -- especially because there were four ahead of her -- it's like always playing catch-up maybe." But Serena did get her Grand Slam first. She won last year's U.S. Open. Now Venus is ready to play family catch-up against Lindsay Davenport in Saturday's final. The third semifinal in Wimbledon history between sisters was sometimes painful to watch. The Williams duo weren't having fun out there. Both agreed they'd have had more fun had it been the final. But I'm not convinced. They slugged it out as best they could. They powered down those booming serves and exchanged super-charged groundstrokes. But there were also nerves and errors and, for the first set at least, a silent crowd wondering if this much-hyped match could possibly live up to expectations. It almost did in the second set, but was never remotely close to the classic served up by Venus and Martina Hingis in the previous round. A double fault in the tiebreak ended Serena's hopes. It was a massive anti-climax. "You know, it ended so abruptly," said Venus. The tears flowed. Venus put a consoling arm around younger sis and simply uttered: "Let's get out of here." Serena was distraught to the point of almost refusing to carry out her interview duties with host broadcasters, the BBC, for which she would have been fined. Venus, meantime, carried out all manner of interviews with all manner of broadcasters. It was curious. These sisters have never seemed closer than entering this Wimbledon all full of smiles and bountiful confidence. Thursday they appeared farther apart than ever before. But they will come together again -- and soon. They are aiming for women's doubles glory, side by side. And as a family, Venus explained they'd come together and enjoy the therapy of laughter. "We laugh a lot," she grinned. "That's what we'll do again." At least until they're next drawn to face each other in a crucial Grand Slam singles match.
Phil Jones is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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