Serena Out on Her Own With Title Deeds to Prove It

The sustained competition between the Williams sisters, fought out at the highest level that tennis offers, is unique and as such the critical parameters of such sibling rivalry remain largely undefined.

After Venus had lost to Serena for the third successive time in a grand slam final at Flushing Meadows last year, and having lost her own title at the same time, she said how proud she was of her younger sister, a remark that could have been construed as the very antithesis of sporting rivalry.

Bragging rights are not a concept either recognises but Venus appeared rather less inclined to offer Serena undiluted praise after she had been beaten 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Australian Open.

Serena's non-calendar grand slam was clearly something extremely special but, when Venus was asked if she considered it a real grand slam, she replied: "I never thought about it too much. I mean, it's not like I was winning it."

She laughed but there was pain behind the laughter, as anyone would expect. "I think I kind of backed off my game and wasn't nearly as aggressive as I was in my other matches."

This may be so but the real truth, now supported by four straight grand slam wins over sister, is that Serena is the better player. Critically, she is able to impose this superiority at key points. On this occasion they were when Venus was serving for the first set at 5-4, in the tie-break which Serena won 7-4 and at the conclusion of the final set when Venus, serving to save the match, mustered only one point.

"I think she was just a little mentally tougher," said Venus. Both sisters are fiercely competitive but once they are locked together in combat Serena is the predator. She oozes aggression and an overwhelming will to win. There is a snarl to her face, while for the most part Venus, other than the grunts and the odd shriek, is impassive. In her early days this was often mistaken for disdain or arrogance by opponents and public alike, but it is simply her nature. She is the cat who walks alone.

Serena is the more extrovert, although afterwards she was strangely subdued. Clearly she was thrilled to have completed four grand slam wins in a row, thus placing herself alongside Maureen Connolly and Martina Navratilova of the United States, Australia's Margaret Court, and Steffi Graf of Germany, who have held all four majors at once, although only Connolly, Court and Graf have done it in the same year.

Perhaps she was just tired; maybe she was being deliberately restrained in deference to her sister. "Most of my fight and courage I've gotten from Venus," she said, which although kindly meant would surely have brought a wry smile from Venus.

In fact, when Serena came back from 5-1 down in the third set against Belgium's Kim Clijsters in her semi-final, the only member of the Williams entourage not beaming with delight was Venus, who now trails Serena 5-4 in slam titles.

But will it stay that way or can Venus, whose last slam title was the 2001 US Open, which was also the last time she beat Serena, raise her game again?

They are the dominant force in women's tennis; individually, Serena is out on her own.