Serena Williams stopped her sister Venus’ hopes of earning a sixth Wimbledon title and avenged her defeat last year by winning the ladies final 7-6, 6-2.
After a tight first set the younger of the Williams sisters used her huge serve to full effect as she dominated her sibling in the second to take the title in straight sets.
The win brings Serena to 11 Grand Slam titles and the current titleholder of the three Grand Slam titles – Wimbledon, Australian and US Open. It was the eighth time in the last 10 years that one of the sisters has won Wimbledon.
To prepare for the match, Serena says she kept telling herself she was facing just another foe on Saturday. “I didn’t think about Venus at all today. I just saw her as an opponent,” said the athlete, who also beat her sister in the 2002 and 2003 finals at the All England Club. “At one point, after the first set, I looked on the side of the court at the stats, and it was like ‘Williams,’ ‘Williams.’ I couldn’t figure out which was which.”
Today’s new rankings will have Serena at No. 2, and Venus No. 3 — behind No. 1 Dinara Safina, a 6-1, 6-0 loser to the elder Williams in the semifinals — but it is clear to Serena who the best woman in the world is at the moment.
“If you hold three Grand Slam titles, maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour, obviously,” Serena said. Then, alluding sarcastically to two less-than-major events won by Safina, Serena doubled over in laughter after saying: “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.”
Asked if it’s easier or harder losing to a sibling, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus said: “There’s no ‘easy’ to losing, especially when it’s so close to the crown.”
She was the two-time defending champion and had won 20 matches in a row at Wimbledon, the last 17 in straight sets. But Venus — at 29, she’s 15 months older than Serena — appeared a step slow, perhaps bothered by the left knee that’s been heavily bandaged since the second round, although she refused to place blame there.
“She played so well, really lifted her game,” Venus said. “I had an error here and there. Today, I couldn’t make errors.”
Later Saturday, the sisters won their fourth Wimbledon doubles title beating Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6 (4), 6-4.
“One out of two’s not bad,” Venus said. “I really wanted to win the singles, but they’re two separate events. If I won the singles and not the doubles, it’s still not the same.”
