Britain's version of Williams sisters cause a racket

Nick Bollettieri could be forgiven a sense of déjà vu yesterday when he came face to face with a pair of black sisters, surname Williams, both of them under 10, and both promising tennis players.

Back in the late 1980s, he met two youngsters who fit that precise description, Venus and Serena Williams. They went on to dominate the women's game, with Bollettieri involved at times in each of their careers.

The difference yesterday is that the girls were from England. Zainab and Maryam, aged nine and six, are the British Williams sisters. It is too early to tell whether they will develop into professionals, but they have been playing since they were toddlers, and attend the north London academy run by the former LTA coach, Alan Jones, for two and a half days each week.

The uncanny similarity with them and the American Williamses stretches further. Zainab, like Venus, was born in June and is the more reserved, while Maryam, like Serena, was born in September, and is more outgoing and expressive on court. They have an American father, Walle, 35, a Texan who now works as a machine operator at a dairy firm in Essex. Their mother, Deborah, 29, is a trainee teacher.

Bollettieri met the girls at the All England Club yesterday after receiving an e-mail from Margot Collins, a coach who had taught the girls at a city tennis project at West Ham park. Collins had applied on the girls' behalf to win the one-month scholarship at Bollettieri's academy being offered in these pages.

There was no court available for any assessment but Bollettieri advised the girls' parents to compile a video of them in action, and he will analyse it with his coaching team back in America. Bollettieri will pick the scholarship winner at the end of Wimbledon fortnight. The girls will not now be considered for that because Deborah Williams believes they will be better able to handle such a regime when they are slightly older.

In the meantime, they hope to continue attending Jones' academy, where they also work with the former British No1, Jo Durie.

"They're interesting," Jones said yesterday. "Good kids, athletic, with signs of good ability. What we never know with anyone so young is how things will develop. To become a serious player you need to be playing a lot, and over a long period."

The girls have been working with Jones since their parents asked for his opinion a year ago. Whether their home life and education allows them to spend considerably more time at the academy, which will be necessary for consistent improvement, remains to be seen. At the moment the family live in Basildon, which does not make for easy commuting.

For now, they will treasure yesterday's first trip to Wimbledon, and dream of returning as competitors. "I like Nadal and Federer but I think I play more like Venus," said Zainab. "Henin's my favourite," said Maryam. "And I think I'm like her, quick to the ball."