Williams Sisters' Sibling Rivalry Renewed
Can Venus Williams Break the Serena Stronghold?
Venus vs. Serena, take sevenSaturday’s Wimbledon ladies’ singles final between Venus and younger sister Serena will be the seventh all-Williams Grand Slam final and the third at the All England Club itself. It’s the renewal of a rivalry that dominated tennis earlier this decade the way Federer vs. Nadal does now, and all signs point to Venus being the favorite.
After all, she is the older sister, the higher seeded player and most importantly, the defending Wimbledon champion. But those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and if Venus isn’t up to the curve on Saturday, history says that little sis will be hoisting the trophy on Centre Court.
It's not often that the defending champion is a perceived underdog in any arena. But as July 4 is Independence Day in America, July 5 may be Venus’ personal Independence Day.
Serena's streakThe Williams sisters were on top of the world in 2001, tennis prodigies that changed the way the women’s game was played. And when they met in the final of the 2001 U.S. Open, Venus – who was the more heralded of the sisters – was in firm control. She was the defending champion and was coming off her second straight Wimbledon title, so when big sis sent Serena packing in straight sets, it was almost expected.
Then something happened: Serena fought back. Hard.
For the next two years, the Williams sisters made the WTA tour their own personal playground. Starting with the 2002 French Open, they met in the finals of five of six majors, but every time, it was Serena who came out as the champion. 2002 was especially bad, as little sis dispatched big sis in straight sets three straight times to win the French, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She then completed the “Serena Slam” by defeating Venus in the 2003 Australian Open finals, and after both failed at the French, Serena successfully defended her Wimbledon crown by vanquishing Venus for a fifth straight time.
But just like that, the Grand Slam portion of their rivalry was over.
Playing the waiting game
Injuries, inconsistent play and the rise of several young guns led to the end of the Williams dynasty. Granted, neither of them completely disappeared from the big stage – Serena has twice won the Australian Open since then, while Venus is a two-time Wimbledon champ – but they were no longer the centerpieces of women’s tennis.
So for five years, Venus has had to live with the knowledge that beating Serena in a Grand Slam final is like beating Mike Tyson in Punch-Out; it can be done, but it takes a heck of a lot of tries.
Come Saturday, Venus would love nothing more than to hoist the trophy that shares her name for the fifth time. But while winning her third Wimbledon title in four years would already be as sweet as strawberries and cream, she knows that hoisting the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court would deliver an even mean something even better: Big sister’s still got it.
