Serena and Venus headed for another Wimbledon final?
For the past two years, the Wimbledon title has been decided in a final between Serena and Venus Williams, and with the pair currently the two top-ranked players in the world, it would be no great surprise if the decider was a family affair once again.
Indeed, just once in the past decade (when Amelie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin to win the title in 2006) has the Wimbledon final not featured at least one of the Williams sisters, and four times during that period the decider has been a family affair (in 2002/03 and 2008/09).
This year, it’s Serena’s turn to return to SW19 as defending champion, while five-time winner Venus seeks to reclaim the title at what the results clearly indicate is her favourite Grand Slam.
Venus and the lawns at Wimbledon have, since she won her first title at the tournament in 2000, been a formidable combination. That agile 6ft 1in frame covers the grass courts with ease and she uses it all to her advantage with powerful angled serves, authoritative groundstrokes that dictate play from the baseline and net coverage that few in recent times have been able to either combat or match.
At her best, the elder Williams sister is almost untouchable on grass, and in the three finals she has lost (in 2002, 2003 and 2009) it has taken a player with a Grand Slam record unmatched by any other currently in women’s tennis to do it. That person is Serena.
The world No. 1 doesn’t have the made-for-grass game of her sister, but she can still outmuscle and out-serve most opponents on the surface. Then there’s that switch Serena flicks to move into Grand-Slam mode: the one that has seen her win 12 Grand Slam singles titles and counting.
With the world No. 1 and No. 2 rankings ensuring that if the Williams sisters cross paths in the singles draw at Wimbledon this year it will be in the final, the task will fall to another to prevent a fifth all Williams final at the All England Club.
But who?
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam title to elude Henin, and part of the reason for her return to tennis, but she couldn’t produce the goods at her favourite major, the French Open, a couple of weeks ago, it’s hard to see her doing so here.
Elena Dementieva pushed Serena to the limit in the semi-finals last year, where she held match point against the eventual champion, she’s withdrawn from this year’s tournament due to a calf injury.
Francesca Schiavone might be deservedly flavour of the month after winning the French Open title, but chances are the change of surface will bring a change of fortunes for the new world No. 6 (it certainly did in her opening match at the Aegon International in Eastbourne), although writing the Italian off has proved a dangerous game of late.
Maria Sharapova will be the other past champion in the draw, but the post shoulder surgery and elbow injury version of the Russian isn’t the same player as she was when she won the title in 2004.
Kim Clijsters will be returning to the All England Club for real this year after playing in the exhibition under the new roof on centre court last year. The US Open champion missed the French Open though injury but was twice a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in part one of her career. Perhaps this is the Belgian with the better chance of ending the Williams dominance in the final.
If the French Open taught us anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as a sure thing in any match at a Grand Slam, but it’s still tough to envisage a Wimbledon singles final without at least one Williams sister in it in 2010.
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