Why Williams Versus Williams Must Get Real

When Martina Navratilova was the dominant force in women's tennis, winning the Wimbledon singles title nine times in total, and six years in succession from 1982-87, it was suggested to her that this was bad for tennis. She replied along the lines that if it was, then Elvis had been bad for rock'n'roll.

The logic of this argument is best not pursued, but it is obvious that from time to time individual athletes dominate their sport. And now it is the turn of the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus.

Today they will play each other for the third time in the latest four grand slam tournaments. Venus won at Flushing Meadows last autumn, with Serena beating her older sister at Roland Garros last month. Their joint rise to the top, predicted by their father Richard, has been extraordinary - a word over-used in a sporting context but perfectly true of the Williams sisters.

As has been well documented, it has not been a rise without its awkward moments, notably their matches against each other which now amount to eight in total, stretching back four years, with Venus having a 5-3 edge. However Serena has won three of the past four, prompting speculation that she may ultimately turn out to be the better player.

Those with a liking for conspiracy theories may have already noted that while Serena greeted her semi-final victory over France's Amélie Mauresmo as if she had already won the title, Venus, despite being the winner of the Wimbledon title for the past two years, was a shade glum. Had the fix already gone in?

Such questions may never be eradicated when the sisters meet, for it was clear in their early days that their father was anxious to promote Venus's career. A member of the Williams family claimed in the National Enquirer - an American tabloid and not an entirely reliable source - that the 2000 Wimbledon semi-final, in which Venus defeated Serena, was fixed, and the paper was never sued. But since then Richard Williams, who is separated from their mother Oracene, has drifted further into the background.

Had Venus been the only tennis-playing sister in the Williams family, her achievements - two US Opens and two Wimbledon titles - would in all probability have drawn greater praise and recognition. The fact that she has a sister of equal talent has to some degree diminished what she has done, or at least clouded those deeds. They are clearly the two best women players in the world but few relish watching them play each other, and to date their meetings have been hugely disappointing with any element of competition almost totally lacking.

Clearly it is not any fault of either sister that they are so good. Their style of play, with its emphasis on power and athleticism, is not to everybody's liking, for it allows little or no room for the more subtle arts of the game to flourish. Ultimately players will come along who will be able to counter the Williamses, just as the power servers in the men's game in the early 1990s were eventually halted. But for the time being, unless injury intervenes, the sisters seem omnipotent.

"They are in the final here again, so it means they are better than anybody else," said Mauresmo, which nobody would disagree with. However, her other comment that "I think it's a little bit sad for women's tennis" is obviously contentious. Mauresmo continued: "I think people are going to get bored. I lost count of the number of people who said to me at Wimbledon 'We don't want a Williams final'. You know, some people think like this, while some people think it is good. Everyone has a different opinion."

Both were completely dominant in their respective semi-finals, Venus defeating Belgium's Justine Henin 6-3, 6-2 and Serena beating Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1, thereby earning the ranking points to replace Venus as the world's No1, a position she will assume whatever the outcome today. In the past year the 20-year-old Serena has lost only four matches and reached nine finals, winning six. She is currently on an 18-match winning streak, taking in the French Open title.

Serena spoke of building up a rivalry with her sister after Roland Garros. Against expectations she had been the first to win a grand slam title, beating Switzerland's Martina Hingis in the final of the 1999 US Open, but before this year's French Open Venus had established a 4-1 lead in the majors. Perhaps a true rivalry is about to begin in earnest.

"We both love to win and I'm not used to losing. And it's quite the same with her," said Venus after winning Thursday's semi-final. The problem for tennis fans is that this obvious competitive spirit does not apply to matches between them. And what nobody can be sure of is whether it ever will.