Venus beats Serena for Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - July 5, 2008 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
five-year 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 Saturday 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 3½ 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
championship - 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.
Things were still a tad awkward after all these years - for the
sisters themselves, of course, but also for the 15,000 or so fans,
who couldn't seem to get into picking someone to support, leading
to a subdued atmosphere; for chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who
occasionally forgot to add the necessary first name when
announcing, "Advantage, Miss Williams"; and, perhaps most of all,
for the relatives sitting in the players' guest box.
When Venus capped a run in which she claimed five of six games
to erase an early 4-2 hole and take the first set, for example,
Price simply stayed put, her face expressionless, her hands in her
lap.
You've just seen one of your daughters win the first set of the
Wimbledon final, and you don't jump and applaud? Well, not if
you've also just seen one of your daughters lose the first set of
the Wimbledon final.
"That was a difficult one to watch," Price said. "You feel
happy that the one won it, but you feel so bad because there has to
be a loser, too."
Venus entered the tournament in the midst of an uneven season,
with a 14-7 record and without so much as one title of any sort. As
long has been the case, however, the grass brought out her best,
and she didn't drop a set all fortnight - not even against the
woman she considers her toughest foe.
"I have the ultimate respect for her game and I have a lot of
respect for her serve," said Venus, who also won Wimbledon in
2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007. "If I was playing anyone else, I
wouldn't have to face what I had to face today."
The same could be said by Serena.
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."
No other top woman consistently pounds groundstrokes the way the
sisters do, either, and they produced fantastic points, even if a
swirling wind played havoc with some shots and led Venus to catch
her service toss countless times.
Neither held back, and the tone was set in the third game, when
Venus came to the net, and Serena sent a stinging passing attempt
right at her sister's face. Venus managed to hit a reflex volley
winner.
Then again, at 4-4 in the opening set, Serena conceded a point
to Venus after the chair umpire called a let when Serena shouted
"No!" as she hit a shot she thought was headed out.
Serena, who still leads Venus 8-7 in major titles, actually
compiled more aces, 9-4, more total winners, 32-27, and fewer
unforced errors, 11-13. But there was one key difference that
tilted the other way: Venus was 4-for-7 converting break points,
while Serena was 2-for-13.
One of those two conversions came early in the second set, when
Serena wasted six break chances before converting the seventh as
Venus slipped on the worn baseline at the end of a 10-stroke
exchange.
That break put Serena ahead 2-1, but she failed to hold in the
very next game, when a deep forehand by Venus forced an error to
make it 2-2.
They stayed on serve until Venus was ahead 5-4, and she broke
there to end it. On the first match point, her sister swatted a 100
mph ace - "classic Serena Williams," as Venus put it.
But on the next point, Serena sailed a backhand wide. When they
met beside the net, the sisters wrapped their arms around each
other. The embrace after their doubles victory appeared far warmer.
Now both were champions.