Williams Sisters

The imposing figures of Serena and Venus Williams are looming over Wimbledon as the most famous ‘sister act’ in sport attempts to maintain a decade of dominance at the All England Club.

At least one Williams sister has appeared in 10 of the last 11 women’s singles finals stretching back to 2000, when Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport in straight sets to claim her maiden Grand Slam triumph.

Since then the sisters have turned Wimbledon into a personal kingdom, winning the title on nine occasions – Serena with four, Venus with five.

This year, the American duo has too many injuries to cater too. These lengthy injuries might have diminished the power of the duo to a great extent. It is a question worth $2.9 million, the record purse on offer to this year’s champion.

Till her appearance at this week’s Eastbourne WTA event, Serena Williams had not played since last year’s Wimbledon final, where she swatted aside Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in straight sets.

Since that imperious victory, the 29-year-old 13-time Grand Slam winner has struggled with a life-threatening health problem before suffering a serious foot injury as her foot was cut open by broken glass.

Serena insists she arrives at Wimbledon merely grateful that she is in the draw, and claims to have put aside thoughts of defending her crown. “I’m just taking everything one day at a time, and I’m not putting too much expectation on myself or on my game,” she said.

Elder sister Venus is in a similar position, also returning from injury at Eastbourne this week after a prolonged absence from the game. While it may not be proper to say that the Williams sisters are completely incapable to make a good comeback for their crowns, it remains to be seen which of the contenders to the Wimbledon crown has the ability to exploit the potential vulnerability of the American duo.

Tags: All-England Club, Serena Williams, Sport, Tennis, Venus Williams, Wimbledon 2011