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Hall of Fame
NOT all that long ago, the run-up to any Grand Slam tournament would be filled with talk about whether Venus and Serena Williams would meet in yet another all-Williams final.
It was pretty much a given that at least one Williams, if not both, would be out there on court for the championship match, smacking speedy serves, swatting powerful groundstrokes and racing along the baseline to reach seemingly unreachable balls.
During a seven-Slam stretch from Wimbledon in 2001 to the Australian Open in 2003, one Williams or the other won every title. And a Williams was the runner-up at five of those majors.
Don’t look now, but those days could be back.
The way Venus won Wimbledon on Saturday, and the way Serena won the Australian Open in January, sends quite a message to the rest of women’s tennis – one that the older sibling succinctly put into words.
“My sixth Slam,” Venus said, smiling. “I want some more.”
Her six major titles are tied for second-most among active players. The leader? Her sister, of course, with eight.
“When it comes to Wimbledon, I do have more,” Venus said, noting her 4-2 edge on Serena at the All England Club.
Venus is now 27, Serena 25, and they were the oldest of the Wimbledon quarter-finalists this year, a group that included three teenagers. Still, there’s something to be said for experience in tight matches on the sport’s biggest stages, and no one has as much as the Williams clan.
Another factor that could work in their favour as the years progress: Neither has as much wear-and-tear as most players their age do.
There are several reasons. One is that their father and coach, Richard Williams, didn’t let them compete a lot when they were kids, limiting them to a tournament or two per season when they were in their early teens.
Even once they were established on the pro circuit, the sisters gained a reputation for picking and choosing which tournaments to enter, something that rankled some other players. And in recent years, both have missed months at a time with various injuries.
All of that time away from the tour in recent times is what dropped both sisters way down in the rankings, nowhere near the No 1 spot each once held. Serena tumbled out of the top 100, and was at No 81 entering this year’s Australian Open.
Venus was at No 31 before Wimbledon and became the tournament’s lowest-ranked champion with her 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli in the final.
When the new rankings are issued today, Venus will rise to No 17, her first time in the Top 20 in exactly a year. Serena Williams will move up to No 7.
As players like Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic – all among the top five as today, all losers to Venus at this Wimbledon – can attest, the rankings are still somewhat misleading.
So no matter what the computer spits out in late August, don’t be surprised if there’s at least one Williams playing when the US Open final comes around.
“Growing up, we dreamed of that, of us being on top of women’s tennis, of playing Slam finals, being (ranked) 1 and 2. That’s what we worked for,” Venus said. “So when that happens, it’s incredible. It’s amazing. For us, there’s no doubt that we can achieve these things.”
It was pretty much a given that at least one Williams, if not both, would be out there on court for the championship match, smacking speedy serves, swatting powerful groundstrokes and racing along the baseline to reach seemingly unreachable balls.
During a seven-Slam stretch from Wimbledon in 2001 to the Australian Open in 2003, one Williams or the other won every title. And a Williams was the runner-up at five of those majors.
Don’t look now, but those days could be back.
The way Venus won Wimbledon on Saturday, and the way Serena won the Australian Open in January, sends quite a message to the rest of women’s tennis – one that the older sibling succinctly put into words.
“My sixth Slam,” Venus said, smiling. “I want some more.”
Her six major titles are tied for second-most among active players. The leader? Her sister, of course, with eight.
“When it comes to Wimbledon, I do have more,” Venus said, noting her 4-2 edge on Serena at the All England Club.
Venus is now 27, Serena 25, and they were the oldest of the Wimbledon quarter-finalists this year, a group that included three teenagers. Still, there’s something to be said for experience in tight matches on the sport’s biggest stages, and no one has as much as the Williams clan.
Another factor that could work in their favour as the years progress: Neither has as much wear-and-tear as most players their age do.
There are several reasons. One is that their father and coach, Richard Williams, didn’t let them compete a lot when they were kids, limiting them to a tournament or two per season when they were in their early teens.
Even once they were established on the pro circuit, the sisters gained a reputation for picking and choosing which tournaments to enter, something that rankled some other players. And in recent years, both have missed months at a time with various injuries.
All of that time away from the tour in recent times is what dropped both sisters way down in the rankings, nowhere near the No 1 spot each once held. Serena tumbled out of the top 100, and was at No 81 entering this year’s Australian Open.
Venus was at No 31 before Wimbledon and became the tournament’s lowest-ranked champion with her 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli in the final.
When the new rankings are issued today, Venus will rise to No 17, her first time in the Top 20 in exactly a year. Serena Williams will move up to No 7.
As players like Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic – all among the top five as today, all losers to Venus at this Wimbledon – can attest, the rankings are still somewhat misleading.
So no matter what the computer spits out in late August, don’t be surprised if there’s at least one Williams playing when the US Open final comes around.
“Growing up, we dreamed of that, of us being on top of women’s tennis, of playing Slam finals, being (ranked) 1 and 2. That’s what we worked for,” Venus said. “So when that happens, it’s incredible. It’s amazing. For us, there’s no doubt that we can achieve these things.”
