WIMBLEDON, EnglandûThrilled as she was to win her fifth Wimbledon singles championship, Venus Williams dialed down her celebration. No hopping in place and skipping to the net after match point, the way she’s done so often on that Centre Court lawn.
WIMBLEDON, EnglandûThrilled as she was to win her fifth Wimbledon singles championship, Venus Williams dialed down her celebration. No hopping in place and skipping to the net after match point, the way she’s done so often on that Centre Court lawn. No giddy laughter and whoops of joy, as she’s let out in the past.
This title was different from her previous successes at the grass-court Grand Slam. This title came at the expense of her younger sibling, Serena.
Reprising their Sister Slam Show in the Wimbledon final after a fiveyear hiatus, Venus and Serena Williams smacked big serves, hit hard strokes from all angles and chased down seemingly unreachable balls, like no one else does. Overcoming an early deficit, Venus beat Serena 7-5, 6-4 July 5 for her second consecutive title at the All England Club and seventh major championship overall.
"I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose," the No. 7-seeded Venus said. "You could never detract from winning a Wimbledon, so of course it doesn’t detract from that. But I’m definitely thinking about how my sister’s feeling."
No. 6 Serena, meanwhile, was sullen as could be afterward, as though she had just finished losing to a stranger. Which, it turns out, was the way she tried to view Venus. That the champion’s trophy stayed in the family did not ease the pain of defeat. "It’s definitely not any easier," Serena said. "I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day."
Said their mother and coach, Oracene Price: "Well, you know, she’s going to have to learn how to suck things up. Say, ‘OK, I’m not going to win everything.’"
About 3 and a half hours after the singles final ended, Price’s daughters returned to the same court, except now they were playing on the same side of the net, and they beat Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s doubles title.
A day that began with a meal together at the nearby house they’re sharing, ended with the sisters’ seventh Grand Slam doubles championshipù and a total family payday of more than $2.5 million. Saturday’s earlier encounter was the seventh all-Williams Grand Slam singles final; only one other pair of sisters faced off in a major tournament title match, and that was all the way back at the very first Wimbledon, in 1884. Williams vs.
Williams finals became routine for a bit, when they met in six of eight Grand Slam title matches from the U.S. Open in 2001 through Wimbledon in 2003. Serena went 5-1 in those, including beating Venus at the All England Club in 2002 and 2003. But big sister got some payback Saturday. "I didn’t want the same trend to keep happening,"
Venus said. "So I climbed a tiny little notch up. It’s 2- 5. Still behind, but I’m working on it." Venus is 28 and Serena 26, and both have been ranked No. 1. But injuries slowed both, and that 2003 Wimbledon final was the last time they met to decide a championship. No other top woman consistently serves as powerfully as the sisters do, and Venus broke her Wimbledon record with a 129 mph delivery Saturday. Repeatedly, precisely the way she’s done all tournament, Venus pounded serves directly at Serena’s body.
"I’m glad she did it," Serena said, "because next time, I know what to expect." AP
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