WIMBLEDON: Over the years there has been this stigma attached to Venus and Serena Williams in that they and their father Richard decide who is going to win the major finals if they are facing one another.
The topic has not been on the discussion block for some time because the sisters have not played each other in a Grand Slam final for five years. The last time was Wimbledon 2003. But the subject raised its head after they qualified for the Wimbledon final, following a comment made by Elena Dementieva.
This is verbatim how the subject raised its head: “Q. If it is an all Williams final, how do you see it?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I mean, if they're going to play against each other, I mean, I don't know what to say. I mean, I cannot imagine myself playing against someone from my family. It's really hard. For sure it's going to be a family decision.”
Dementieva speaks very good English but English is not her first language, Russian is, and what she was saying was caught up in the language aspect. She was not suggesting for one minute that the girls determine who wins such finals. She was talking about the fact that it’s the Williams name that wins.
In all the years I have been on the tour and for the period that Dementieva has been playing, I have not known her to be rude or critical. She was commenting on how difficult it must be to face a sibling. It is something she has never had to do and can’t fathom what it would be like.
I have also known both sisters, Venus and Serena, for a number of years. I worked for them on their joint website and to this very day work with Serena on her independent website, www.serenawilliams.com.
When Venus won Wimbledon, she invited me to the Champions Dinner and I sat at the table next to hers – as she was the champion she was at the head table with Roger Federer and the Chairman of the AELTC.
It is beyond my belief that the girls would do any such thing. Again, verbatim, this is Venus’ response to the relevant question about what is essentially an accusation of match fixing.
Q. Some have noted, believe it or not, there's still a skepticism in the public in terms of one Williams sister playing another. Elena Dementieva just said that she felt the outcome of the final would be a result of a family decision. Could you talk to the public in terms of what happens when Venus plays Serena and whether there's any family decision, any discussion beforehand.
VENUS WILLIAMS: “Well, the main thing is that I find the question pretty offensive because I'm extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court.
I contribute my best in my sport, and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family. So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family. That's pretty much how I feel about the whole subject.”
Q. I think Elena...
VENUS WILLIAMS: I'm not talking about her. I'm talking about the question.
Q. I think he had it wrong. I think Elena didn't understand it. She was talking very complimentary about both of you. She said it's going to be a family decision, that someone in the family is going to win. I think it was a language issue. I don't think she was saying it was a family decision.
VENUS WILLIAMS: “We need to move on from this subject because it's ridiculous.”
So much of the negativity that is pointed at the two of them in this regard stems from the fact that they don’t cow-tow to the media. They don’t often provide one-on-one interviews and they remain quite private and in their own environment. It is something that doesn’t always gel with the media.
But they both have very strong moral beliefs. This was questioning their integrity.
This Wimbledon final is the seventh time they will meet in a Grand Slam final and it’s the tenth time they are facing one another at a Grand Slam, period. Overall Serena leads their head-to-head 8-7.
The breakdown out of the previous nine matches overall which includes a second round, a semifinal and a fourth round, Serena has won five. Analyzing that further, from the six finals they have played at majors, Serena has won five.
Sure their matches have not been showstoppers, but that’s how it goes sometimes. It also gets back to the point of playing a sibling. It is not easy to do. We the fans and the observers expect a lot because they are two mega-stars of sport and they should provide a classic match whenever they play. If only that were the case, but it’s not and it leaves us feeling short changed; a perfect example was this year’s French Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
If the girls and their father were to be discussing who should win, wouldn’t it be fair to say the tally would be even at the Grand Slams rather than a lopsided 5-1? Don’t you think one sister is going to have some pretty serious objections? Funny how that aspect hasn’t been explained by those raising the question and questioning their morals.
“I personally want everything that Venus has,” said Serena.
“So, you know, she wins a trophy, I would desperately want it. I would be really, you know, eager to have it. We're good at this now. We just leave everything out on the court. This is the finals of Wimbledon. Who doesn't want it?”
Exactly, it’s Wimbledon. This is the be all and end all of tennis and one of the greatest prizes in all of sport. This is what they are playing for and no one, no matter how close they are to a sibling, is going to let a prize like the Venus Rosewater Trophy slip through their fingers. When a tennis player is asked what they would like to win above everything else, the vast, vast majority of times the answer will be “Wimbledon”.
Roger Federer would dearly love to win the French Open to complete his set of majors but if he didn’t and he won another five Wimbledons he’d think he was in heaven.
“I just realize that I want to win … Again, this is Wimbledon,” said Serena. “If it was the US Open, it would be the US Open. This is a Grand Slam. This is history. We both are trying to make our mark.”
It doesn’t seem like there’s been a five year gap since their last sister act at a Grand Slam final. The most recent time they met across a net was earlier this year in India and Serena won a three set nail biter.
“Our main focus is obviously both of us getting to the final, and then on in it's every Williams for themselves,” said Venus.