RICHARD Williams had gone home to mow the lawn. He usually does when his daughters are involved in a grand slam final so by this stage his back garden must look like a bowling green. Between them, Venus and Serena Williams have now won 18 major titles, Serena adding to the list yesterday by crushing Venus 7-6, 6-2 to win her third Wimbledon crown.
Serena is now the holder of three of the four grand slam titles – only the French Open eluded her in the past 12 months – and yet, thanks to the WTA's ranking system, Dinara Safina, she who had been clattered in three of the past four grand slam fina
ls on her way to Wimbledon, remains the world No.1. The ranking system rewards consistent players rather than champions and, much like a kindergarten sports day, everyone comes away with a hug and a sweetie regardless of their performance.
"That's just shocking," Serena said. "But it is what it is. I'd definitely rather be No.2 and hold three grand slams in the past year than be No.1 and not have any. I see myself as No.2. That's where I am. I think Dinara did a great job to get to No.1. She won Rome and Madrid."
This was a rare display of an American getting the hang of sarcasm and, as she exploded with laughter, she brought the house down. She knew who deserved to be at the top of the pecking order.
Fortunately, deep down Serena always thinks of herself as the best in the world whatever the rankings computer says. She only defers to her sister and, even then, only at Wimbledon. But not this year. The younger, shorter and more belligerent sister has been on a mission since she walked through the gates of All England Club and it was Venus' misfortune that she happened to be standing in the way in the final.
Even so, the Serena who won yesterday was not the same Serena who had scrapped and battled and roared her way through a three-hour epic with Elena Dementieva in the semi final. Then she was terrifying in her raw power and aggression; against Venus she was only at her best in a couple of rallies. That was enough to get the job done, but it was hardly a shining advertisement for the women's game.
That Venus and Serena are streets ahead of everyone else on the women's tour is not their fault. That they tend to produce desperately dull finals is also not their fault, nor should not come as a surprise. They were taught by the same coach – their father – they have practised on the same courts since they first picked up their baby rackets and here at Wimbledon, they have been sharing the same rented house a few minutes walk from the club. There are no secrets between the two and, consequently, they can pull no surprises out of the bag when they get on court.
Venus moves better than her sister, she is the better volleyer and, at 6ft 1ins, she has a much longer reach than Serena. But Serena is more of predator and as she prowls and growls around the baseline.
Serena is a complex mix of characters – she is an aspiring actress, after all – but not even she is quite sure what happens to her when she puts her match face on. "On court, I'm Serena Williams," she explained. "Off court, I'm Serena. And Serena is girly and fun. On court I'm an animal."
The trouble is that when the animal in her rises up in a final against her sister, she does everything in her power to tame it. She was desperate to reclaim the trophy she last won in 2003 and yet she did not want to humiliate her sister on Centre Court. Any other rival would have been torn to shreds but she can never bring herself to do that to her older sister. The fact that she has found a way to do it in six of their eight grand slam finals speaks volumes about her champion's heart: she will find a way to succeed if there is a prestigious trophy to be had.
As she tried to close out yesterday's family squabble, she needed four match points. On the second, she found herself facing a sitter for a winner. All she has to do was welt the ball into the acres of open court that Venus had left behind her. And Serena gently patted the ball back to her sister's racket. Thankfully, Venus put her out of her misery on the fourth match point by dumping her shot in the net. Serena was mightily relieved and the first emotion that overcame her was simple relief: "Thank God I didn't choke on another match point."
The relief was soon replaced by elation and as she sank to her knees on the baseline, Venus could not bear to watch and turned away. She trudged back to her chair and stared forlornly towards the players' box where her family and friends cheered Serena's victory. Serena, for her part, tried to contain herself in front of her sister but it looked a much harder task than actually beating Venus in the final. She was back to her best and she had the Wimbledon title to prove it. To hell with the rankings system.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Florida, a man with a Flymo was proudly mowing away for all he was worth.
