By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: July 4, 2009
The Williams family dream, developed about 20 years ago on the courts of Compton, Calif., littered with broken-glass, has played out on every major championship surface since. On the Fourth of July, Serena and Venus Williams, the American superstars and the only real standard bearers of women’s tennis, slugged it out on the hallowed grass of Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club.
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After all the anguished cries and pummeled forehands between the pair, their 21st meeting and their fourth meeting in the Wimbledon final, ended with but a muted celebration. Serena Williams, the younger sister by 15 months, steamrolled big sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 to win her third Wimbledon championship.
She smiled and dropped to the grass, but was not gloating with Venus on the other side of the net in resigned defeat. Venus’s final backhand sailed plaintively into the net, as Serena captured her 11th major championship title with unrelenting force. It was her first Wimbledon championship since 2003.
A five-time Wimbledon champion, Venus had not dropped a set during these Wimbledon championships, but suddenly Serena won the first set tiebreaker with an off-balance topspin lob that left Venus flat-footed at the net.
Serena, 27, was pumping her fist, her body language and her racket all screaming for victory. Venus, 29, usually the more quiet and contemplative of the pair, only seemed to retreat further within herself. Serena never stopped in the second set, breaking the all-time sister tie.
“She had an answer for everything. She played the best tennis today, so congratulations,” Venus said in the trophy presentation.
“I don’t think the loss has set in yet, because I’m still smiling.”
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