Word: serena
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...last time the two were supposed to meet, at a semifinal match at Indian Wells, Calif., Venus pulled out at the last minute with a bum knee. And at the 2000 Wimbledon semifinal, their play was sloppy and uninspired, with Venus slumping toward a victory. But this time, Serena, 19--the more powerful but less disciplined player--turned it on at the beginning. Venus, 21 and still the more well-rounded, controlled strategist, broke her sister's serve in the fifth game of the first set. Serena's face, already locked stiff, became even more intense as she struggled, double...
...creating the two best players in the game but by gutsily holding out for a huge endorsement contract. And there will be more in what promises to be a long era of Williams domination. The end of the summer saw two tournament wins in a row by the Williamses--Serena in Toronto and Venus in New Haven. This year's Open was the death knell not just for Hingis, whose weak serve and clever volleying look a century old, but even for the "veterans"--powerful Capriati and Lindsay Davenport, who just did not appear to be in the same league...
...Williamses the strongest players in a sport in which power increasingly matters, but their volleys have improved, and they're less afraid of rushing the net. If they begin playing more tournaments next year, as they have vowed to do, Venus, ranked No. 4 at the Open, and Serena, ranked No. 10, will be fighting for the No. 1 ranking for a long time. And if Serena continues to improve her control and gets some confidence about facing her older sister, it will be interesting to see how they segue from partners to rivals--whether they will still room together...
...Tennis is just a game, and we're entertainers," said Serena before the match. "People pay to see us play and perform. After that, we go home, and we're always going to be a family. We have to be able to separate tennis from family life." The first words Venus said to her sister after defeating her were "I love you." The sisters seem to have enough perspective to be able to pull that off. They get a lot of flack for saying tennis isn't the only thing in their life--for planning for their next careers...
Even during the postgame speeches to the crowd, the two looked very much like sisters. And they still played up the sisterly rivalry. A smiling Venus said, "I always want Serena to win. I'm the big sister. I take care of Serena. I make sure she has everything, even if I don't have anything." Serena grimaced and tugged on Venus' arm. "Stop. Stop. Stop. Be quiet." Then she laughed. "For the younger sisters, we always look up to the big sister and we always want to win because they're always older and ahead of us." They...