Serena says she's in the shadow of Venus ahead of another sister act sequel

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 11:20

VENUS and Serena have no intention of quitting yet – and that's good news for tennis and very bad news for their rivals.

The Williams sisters might have by far the sport's most famous and arguably successful sibling rivalry but they still don't like to talk about it.

It would have been easier for questioners to take a point off Serena's power 122mph serve than get the sister act to engage in a bit of pre-final trash talk.

They've heard and answered all the questions before, having played 20 times in their careers, including three previous Wimbledon finals.

"Humour us with something creative," begged Venus, as her assembled inquisitors searched in vain for something original to say.

Serena might have won a Grand Slam but she insists she still lives in her big sister's shadow.

And Venus – a five-time winner at the All England Club – certainly looks like the one to beat after dropping just 20 games on a peerless procession to another final.

"The basis of my entire career has been learning off Venus," said Serena.

"When she was starting out and I was watching in the stands, I was able to gain experience, even though I wasn't playing the actual matches.

"I get negative too easily and she has such a positive attitude. She is always so calm and that is an inspiration.

"We are used to being in this position now. It doesn't effect us, we just live our lives.

"Whatever happens in the final, it is not the end of the world."

You will have to search through a lot of archives before you find Venus say something controversial. Even after dropping just one game against semi-final opponent and top seed Dinara Safina, she talked about beating a "tough opponent" and turned on suggestions the Russian was not a legitimate worldNo.1.

Serena also believes women's tennis is in rude health – despite some critics claiming it's a two-woman show with a largely anonymous supporting cast.

"I don't think I'd change anything about the game at the moment, I think it's really exciting," she added.

"We have exciting players in the top ten and Serena and I just loving being in there with them. It's a great job and a privilege."

Venus and Serena continue to defy convention – and also reached the women's doubles final yesterday to ensure a busy weekend at SW19.