Williams sisters' rare bond produces problem

World Nos 1 and 2 buoyed by mutual support but practice court familiarity undermines head-to-head performances

Unity is the strength of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. They perceive each other as one and the same person. Only when they compete against each other at the highest level does their unity appear to be a weakness.

Individually, and as a pair, the American siblings are wonders of the sporting world, magnificent athletes who between them have won six Grand Slam singles titles and more than $17m (£12.1m) in official prize-money, plus countless millions from marketing.

But those who witnessed anticlimactic matches between the Williamses at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the United States Open and, most recently, the French Open, will be aware of the ambivalence with which they were received.

As the top two players in the women's game, Venus, aged 22, and Serena, 20, are seeded to meet in the singles final at Wimbledon a week next Saturday. It will be a major surprise if either loses before then. If Serena does reach the final, she should supplant Venus as the world No 1 irrespective of her opponent and the outcome of the match.

Venus, who is attempting to win the title for the third time consecutively, a feat last accomplished by Steffi Graf between 1991 and 1993, summarised the bond with her sister when responding to the point that Serena would be her biggest threat at Wimbledon.

"I'd be really happy if she won, for sure," Venus said, "and I think she'd be just as happy if I did. It would be the same thing. And I've won already. Not that it doesn't mean more to me to win again."

There was another example of victory by proxy after Venus was defeated by Serena in the French Open final. "I'm happy for Serena," Venus said, "because she hasn't won a Slam for a while. I also have to look at the areas where I have to improve. But Serena won, so I can kind of live through her and say that I won the French, too, because I beat her once, so that means maybe I could have won the French."

Serena, while not exactly buying that line, said: "I think it's better that I won against Venus, because at least we both took home the maximum amount of money and points."

This was not a case of the sisters admitting to family collusion, suggestions of which have been raised in some quarters after each of their matches against each other. Serena, asked if there is a point in a match when she forgets she is playing her sister, said: "When you first walk out there. Once you're on the court, you're fighting. I want to win. Venus wants to win."

Dave Rineberg, from Kansas, who was the hitting coach for Venus and Serena for seven years (1992-99), offers an alternative view. In his book, Venus and Serena (Frederick Fell Inc), Rineberg writes: "Serena would not like to hear this, but in my opinion, Venus will beat her nine times out of every 10 times they play. It is not just that Venus is better, it's more the fact that Serena has always looked up to Venus and at times even idolised her.

"When they were younger and went to a restaurant to eat, Oracene [their mother] told me stories about how Serena would wait until Venus ordered and then order the same thing. Venus used to walk Serena to school and as they approached a busy street they had to cross, Serena would not go without first reaching for Venus's hand. Venus was her protector, her defender, and sometimes her idol. How could Serena go about beating her?

"On the flip side, Venus would not beat Serena 10 out of 10 times either, because Serena was the little sister that she had protected, consoled, and sympathised with all her life. She would have to give her baby sis a break every once in a while and let her win. I saw her do it in practices for five years.

"The girls did their best to act as if their matches against each other were like any other matches, but it was apparent to me, and many others, that their matches were not of the same quality. When practising before playing [Martina] Hingis or [Steffi] Graf. Venus and Serena were so focused. They would hit every ball at me or past me as if I was their opponent. Sometimes I would stop and say: 'save it for the match, Venus,' or 'don't waste it on the practice court, Serena'."

After defeating Venus in the Nasdaq Open final in Key Biscayne in March, Serena talked about sisterly care. "I've always just been taking, taking, taking," she said, laughing. "The other day, I didn't have anybody to hit with before I played Martina Hingis in a night match. Venus had just finished and was about to take a shower. My hitting partner was nowhere to be seen. Next thing I know, out came Venus, long legs running. I'd never been so happy to see her in my life. I really can count on Venus for anything."

Venus gave Serena credit for showing her how to become a major champion by winning the United States Open in 1999, defeating Hingis in the final. "It sounds strange," Venus said, "but Serena paved the way for me. If anyone else had gone out there and played as courageously as she had, I probably wouldn't have noticed. But since it was Serena, she was like a role model. She just had no fear. She went for every ball with reckless abandon. She just executed. So I started to take a look at myself and realised I wasn't executing."

It seems that the confidence Venus exuded from the moment she arrived on the WTA Tour disguised a lot of insecurity. "I've had a lot of let-downs in my career," she said. "A lot of times I should have done better and I didn't. Those are all learning experiences. I only have four Slams at this point.

"My most disappointing moment was definitely when I played the US Open final [in 1997] and lost to Hingis. I just didn't want to win. It was OK if I lost. I refused to serve. I refused to hit the ball. I wouldn't win. I wasn't ready to win in my mind.

"After that I decided, 'if I lose, I lose, but I'm just going to go for the goal'. And that's when things started changing for me. I had an injury and all, but I had a lot of time to think about how I was acting like a loser." She giggled. "It had to be for real, or else go to school or something. It changed in my next event, in Zurich."

It was not until 2000, however, that she felt ready to make a serious challenge at Wimbledon. "The match I played against Steffi Graf [in the quarter-finals in 1999], I wouldn't win. I just wouldn't do it. I just had to give it away. There are times when you have to be honest with yourself. I wasn't ready to step up. If you can't be honest with yourself, you have a real problem.

"In the year against Jana Novotna [in the quarters in 1998], I was leading, she barely beat me, and I wasn't willing to play those big points. You have to step up and do it, and that's when I would kind of back off and make the errors. I got tired of that. I wasn't here just to be runner-up or No 5 in the world. That wasn't enough for me.

"I wanted to get to the next level. In order to get here, you have to play those big points well. You've got to be mean and angry on the court, you've got to want every point. Not that I didn't want every point, but I didn't exactly do what it took to get those big points to get the big matches."

And the Wimbledon semi-final against Serena in 2000? "I was trying to win. She was, too. Our games are so similar. We have the same coach. Maybe it doesn't always work out."

The coach, of course, is their father, Richard Williams. "He works hard to build our technique," Venus said. "He's really a great coach. When I lose, I go crazy. It's not his fault, it was mine, completely. He's very innovative. He always has a new technique, new ideas, new strategies to put in place. He's very unique. I don't really think of those things, but he does."

Does she beat him? "Well now, yeah. I used to hit with him up till '99. As soon as I came to a tournament, I would hit with my dad. But he hasn't been practising like I have. When I was at home, I would hit with my dad, and he would do running drills, too. I would have to hit this way and that way, and he would go woosh! And I'd say, 'Daddy, wow!'"

Although papa Williams does not accompany his daughters to all the tournaments, he appears to enjoy Wimbledon's traditions. Venus recalled: "When he saw all the lines of people queuing, he said: 'I've got to find out why all these people would do this for this tournament.' He's somewhat of a philosopher, he really is. It would be night time, and I would be going to bed, and he would say, 'I'm going to go and talk to those people in line. I have the key to the door, so I'll be OK'."

Venus is somewhat of a dress design student, although she does not consider she is ready to run up a little number to put by for the Champions' Dinner.

"I can't make my own dress yet," she admitted. "I could try, but I'm really slow at my work. It takes me 10 hours just to cut out a pattern."

The champion has, however, learned to love tea. "I like it with lemon or honey. Afternoon tea and biscuits – I can't wait. I have tea at home. I have a teapot. I love shopping for kitchen things."

Venus could also make herself useful as an auxiliary weather forecaster for Chris Gorringe, Wimbledon's chief executive and bearer of damp tidings. "Actually, I kind of know when it's going to rain," Venus confided. "It's strange, but last year I knew the weather was going to be good, and as the final rounds approached I just felt that it was going to rain." She giggled. "And it did."

Some players become anxious during rain delays. "Not me," Venus smiled. "I just take a nap." Perchance to dream of keeping the Venus Rosewater Dish in the family.

VENUS FACTFILE
Country: United States of America
Birthdate:17 June 1980
Birthplace: Lynwood, California
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Height: 1.85 metres (6ft 1in)
Weight: 72.7kg (160lb)
Plays: Right-handed
Year Turned professional: 1994
Current singles ranking: 1
Highest singles ranking: 1
Date of highest ranking: 25 February 2002
Career titles for singles: 25
Career titles for doubles: 8
Career matches won: 260
Career matches lost: 62
Matches won this year: 35
Matches lost this year: 5
Career prize-money: $10,210,271
Singles prize-money this year: $890,934
Grand Slam wins: Wimbledon 2000, 2001; US Open 2000, 2001

SERENA FACTFILE
Country: United States of America
Birthdate: 26 September 1981
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Height: 1.78 metres (5ft 10in)
Weight: 65.9 kilos (145lb)
Plays: Right-handed
Year Turned Pro: 1995
Current singles ranking: 2
Highest singles ranking: 2
Date of highest ranking: 10 June 2002
Career titles for singles: 15
Career titles for doubles: 8
Career matches won: 174
Career matches lost: 38
Matches won this year: 29
Matches lost this year: 3
Career prize-money: $7,588,846
Singles prize-money this year: $1,482,522
Grand Slam wins: French Open 2002; US Open 1999.