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Venus Remains Queen Of Centre Court

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By HOWARD FENDRICH

The Associated Press

Published: July 6, 2008

Updated: 07/06/2008 12:12 am

WIMBLEDON, England - Thrilled as she was to win her fifth Wimbledon singles championship, Venus Williams dialed down her celebration.

No hopping in place and skipping to the net after match point, the way she has so often on that Centre Court lawn. No giddy laughter and whoops of joy, as she has let out in the past.

This title was different from her previous successes at the grass-court Grand Slam. This title came at the expense of her younger sibling, Serena.

Reprising their Sister Slam Show in the Wimbledon final after a five-year hiatus, Venus and Serena Williams smacked big serves, hit hard strokes from all angles and chased down seemingly unreachable balls like no one else does. Overcoming an early deficit, Venus beat Serena 7-5, 6-4 Saturday for her second consecutive title at the All England Club and her seventh major title.

"I'm definitely more in tune with my sister's feelings, because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose," Venus said. "You could never detract from winning a Wimbledon, so of course it doesn't detract from that. But I'm definitely thinking about how my sister's feeling."

Serena, meanwhile, was sullen as could be afterward, as though she had just finished losing to a stranger. Which, it turns out, was the way she tried to view Venus. That the champion's trophy stayed in the family did not ease the pain of defeat.

"It's definitely not any easier," Serena said. "I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day."

Said their mother and coach, Oracene Price: "Well, you know, she's going to have to learn how to suck things up. Say, 'OK, I'm not going to win everything.'"

Saturday's encounter was the seventh all-Williams Grand Slam singles final; only one other pair of sisters faced off in a major tournament title match, and that was all the way back at the very first Wimbledon, in 1884.

Williams vs. Williams finals became routine for a bit, when they met in six of eight Grand Slam title matches from the U.S. Open in 2001 through Wimbledon in 2003. Serena went 5-1 in those, including beating Venus at the All England Club in 2002 and 2003.

But big sister got some payback Saturday.

"I didn't want the same trend to keep happening," Venus said. "So I climbed a tiny little notch up. It's 2-5. Still behind, but I'm working on it."

Venus is 28 and Serena 26, and both have been ranked No. 1. But injuries slowed both, and that 2003 Wimbledon final was the last time they met to decide a championship.

Things were still a tad awkward after all these years - for the sisters themselves, of course, but also for the 15,000 or so fans, who couldn't seem to get into picking someone to support, leading to a subdued atmosphere; for chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who occasionally forgot to add the necessary first name when announcing, "Advantage, Miss Williams;" and, perhaps most of all, for the relatives sitting in the players' guest box.

Venus entered the tournament in the midst of an uneven season, with a 14-7 record and without a title of any sort. As long has been the case, however, the grass brought out her best, and she didn't drop a set all fortnight - not even against the woman she considers her toughest foe.

"I have the ultimate respect for her game, and I have a lot of respect for her serve," said Venus, who also won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007. "If I was playing anyone else, I wouldn't have to face what I had to face Saturday."

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