Sorry, sis

Serena tops Venus in three sets to defend title

Serena Williams is only the fifth woman since the game turned professional in 1968 to retain the Wimbledon crown. Phil Cole/Getty Images

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Serena Williams sat in her courtside chair, jacket over her legs and towel over her shoulders, trying to stay warm during a 10-minute medical timeout early in the final set of the Wimbledon final.

Her adversary and sister, Venus, was in the locker room getting treatment for the abdominal strain that made her double over or grimace after shots.

Of all the things that could have been on Serena's mind -- What is taking so long? Will she quit? How's my big sis doing? -- here's what she thought: "I want to make sure I hold serve here."

Tough as it might be to stay relentless against a hurt sibling, Serena focused and beat Venus 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 Saturday for her second straight Wimbledon title. It's her fifth championship in the past six Grand Slams, each capped by a victory over Venus.

"I have to look at the big picture. Twenty years from now, I don't want to look back and say, 'You know what? I really should have fought harder,'" Serena said. "It was a little more difficult, seeing as it was Venus that's injured. I just had to tell myself to look at the ball and nothing else."

That's the type of drive Serena has displayed for the past 14 months, rolling up a 40-1 record at majors while establishing herself as No. 1 in the world and in her family.

And yet, once the last ball was struck, she and Venus were simply sisters again.

Advantage: Serena Career head-to-head meetings Year  Tourney  Round  Winner  Score  1998  Aus. Open  2nd  Venus  7-6, 6-1  1998  Rome  qtrs  Venus  6-4, 6-2  1999  K. Biscayne  final  Venus  6-1, 4-6, 6-4  1999  G.S. Cup  final  Serena  6-1, 3-6, 6-3  2000  Wimbledon  semis  Venus  6-2, 7-6  2001  Indian Wells  semis  *Serena  walkover  2001  U.S. Open  final  Venus  6-2, 6-4  2002  Miami  semis  Serena  6-2, 6-2  2002  Fr. Open  final  Serena  6-3, 7-5  2002  Wimbledon  final  Serena  7-6, 6-3  2002  U.S. Open  final  Serena  6-4, 6-3  2003  Aus. Open  final  Serena  7-6, 3-6, 6-4  2003  Wimbledon  final  Serena  4-6, 6-4, 6-2  * Does not officially count as a win or a loss

They hugged at the net, and Venus stepped aside to sit down, allowing Serena to soak in the applause. But Serena soon went over and plopped down in the changeover seat next to Venus. They chatted, smiling, until Venus flagged down a club official and handed him a camera to capture the moment.

"I can't feel sorry for myself. I know my sisters feel sorry for me, including Serena," she said.

Then Venus thought of a truly silver lining.

Speaking of the winner's trophy, a sterling silver plate on which champions' names are engraved, she noted with a smile: "One day someone is going to see 'Williams' and think it was me."

About two hours earlier, she started the match -- her fourth straight Wimbledon final, including wins in 2000-01 and last year's loss to Serena -- with her midsection and upper left leg taped.

Venus got more wrapping in the timeout after being broken to open the third set, when she double-faulted twice, put a forehand in the net and generally looked miserable.

"I couldn't run too fast, I couldn't stretch out too much," she said. "I was hitting serves in the net because it's harder to reach up."

Her serve speeds were down around 85 mph by then, 20-to-30 mph slower than usual, and after hitting them she would wince.

Women's Final -- Stats   Serena  Venus  Aces  6  1  Service winners  2  0  Double faults  4  8  1st serve in %  59  49  1st serve points won %  72  73  2nd serve points won %  34  35  Unforced errors  30  25  Total points won  99  93  Break points won  6/13  4/11  Fastest first serve (mph)  113  115  Fastest second serve (mph)  94  100  Average first serve (mph)  103  104  Average second serve (mph)  83  87  Match duration: 2 hours, 3 minutes

But she was determined to play. This was, after all, a Wimbledon final, she hadn't won a major in two years and -- perhaps most significantly -- she was facing her sister. The family drew jeers at a 2001 tournament in California after an injured Venus withdrew before a semifinal against Serena.

"Everyone's quite familiar with the history. I had to at least show up and go out on the court," Venus said. "Serena and I have taken a lot of slack, so I felt I had to take one for the team."

Actually, Venus might not even have been a finalist at all if not for Serena. When Venus aggravated the two-month-old stomach muscle strain during her semifinal against Kim Clijsters, it was Serena's encouragement during a rain delay that kept her going.

Venus skipped practice Friday, and cut short a session before the final, limping away after 10 minutes with a left groin twinge.

"I think she was very courageous to go out there and play," said trainer Karen Davis, who treated Venus and predicted she'll be out two-to-four weeks.

Shortly before the scheduled 2 p.m. start, All England Club chief executive Chris Gorringe emerged on court with a microphone and intoned, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please."

The crowd of 13,810 suddenly quieted, perhaps wondering if a withdrawal announcement was coming. Instead, Gorringe merely noted that a representative of a charity would handle the prematch coin toss.

Serena: Healthy Venus would've won LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) -- Venus Williams probably would have claimed the Wimbledon title this year if she had been fully fit, her younger sister Serena said after winning Saturday's final. "The way I played today and the way Venus was playing, I think definitely she would have been the Wimbledon champion this year," said Serena. "She was serving well, running well, her groundstrokes were very solid. "What class, what spirit, what fight and what champion quality Venus showed today and throughout the tournament." The 21-year-old said she managed to stay focused on her own game while Venus received treatment on her injury during the final set. "I was just telling myself, 'This is Wimbledon, God knows if I will get this opportunity again.' If anything I fought harder. "I can't say it was that difficult. That's what kept me motivated. You have to look at the big picture. Twenty years from now I didn't want to look back and say I should have fought harder and I don't have to say that." "Venus played really well in the first set," Serena said. "Her groundstrokes were really kicking, she put me on the defensive." "I started out a little bit low and made a few too many errors. She was running me back and forth and blasting winners." She also paid a warm tribute to Venus' mental toughness in seeing the match through. "She's tougher than I ever thought she was. I knew she was tough, but she's definitely on a different level. "To continue playing today knowing she was injured ... she's definitely up there as a real fighter and a true champion. I really had to fight to win this match." Explaining her low-key celebration, Serena said: "I was a little tired. That was the longest match I played this fortnight." But she could not hide her pleasure at taking the title a month after her ill-tempered French Open semifinal against Justine Henin-Hardenne. "I should have won the French," she said. "Definitely I'm satisfied. I love playing here at Wimbledon. I love being a champion again. I love walking off the court and seeing my name up there."

And then the players came out, Venus several paces behind, walking with a slight hitch.

She didn't have problems early, though, winning the first game with three service winners up to 110 mph. She broke at love with a passing shot and held to 3-0 thanks to two forehand errors by Serena, capping an 11-point Venus run.

"It tugged at my heartstrings watching Venus out there," said their mother, Oracene Price. "I didn't want her out there in the first place, but that's her choice. That's what probably made it difficult for Serena at the beginning."

Venus then had four break points to take a 4-0 lead, but erased two with backhand errors. Serena saved another with a 107 mph ace, and it was on the fourth that the fiery on-court persona she displays against everyone else first showed.

It was a spectacular 10-stroke point ending with a passing shot by Serena. She turned her back to Venus, pumped a fist, curled her body and yelled, "Come on!" Serena won the next two points for 3-1.

The next few games were marked by the powerful hitting and relentless running that elevated the sisters to the top, with strokes accompanied by shrieks.

But serving down 5-4, Serena played a poor game, as though she was easing up a bit. She fell behind love-40 with a double-fault, smacked a backhand winner to save one break point, then flubbed a 16-stroke exchange with an awkward shot that sailed wide.

Serena finished with 30 unforced errors to Venus' 25, and the second set opened with three consecutive service breaks and the sort of sloppiness often seen in the Sister Slam finals.

Serena gained control in the second set by breaking at love to 4-1 with Venus missing two backhands and two forehands, the last sailing 5 feet long.

The final set was similar, Venus' errors mounting as she looked more uncomfortable, slapping her left thigh while awaiting serves. When her eighth double-fault made it 5-2, she slumped over, leaning on her racket as though it were a cane.

"She's tougher than I ever thought she was," Serena said. "I knew she was tough, but she's definitely on a different level."

The same could be said of Serena's tennis right now.

If not for an acrimonious semifinal loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne at the French Open a month ago, Serena might have tied the record of six straight major titles.

"I love being a champion again," Serena said. "I love walking off the court and seeing my name up there again."

 

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