WIMBLEDON, England They were once awkward occasions met with an ambivalent mix of curiosity and sympathy. But it has been so long since tennis had an all-Williams match for high stakes that perhaps the sport and maybe even the sisters are finally ready to embrace the prospect instead of keeping it at long arms length.
It is an against-the-odds development that this fourth-round family affair will happen at all, considering that Serena Williams was twice two points from defeat against Heather Watson on Friday before prevailing, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
How I pulled through, I really dont know, Serena Williams said of her latest great escape.
And it is, of course, against the odds that she and her sister Venus are still playing with the kind of skill, stamina and commitment required to reach the second week at Wimbledon at this stage of their lives.
Venus Williams, who defeated Aleksandra Krunic, 6-3, 6-2, on Friday, just turned 35 and has long had an autoimmune disease, Sjogrens syndrome, that can leave her sapped of energy, sometimes without warning.
Serena Williams will turn 34 in September and has had injuries and a major health scare of her own, needing emergency hospitalization after a pulmonary embolism in 2011.
The sisters already have their millions of dollars and their five Wimbledon singles titles each.
Raised to be champions before they had any say in the matter, the sisters have endured and excelled of their own free wills like no other women of their tennis generation.
The message is enjoy them while weve got them, said David Witt, Venus Williamss longtime hitting partner and coach. Youll never see something like this again.
It is hard to disagree as they prepare to play on Monday at Wimbledon, their first meeting at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2009 final here, which Serena Williams won in straight sets.
This Wimbledon match will be in the round of 16, making it their earliest meeting in any regular tournament since the 2005 United States Open. And if a ball or two had landed in different places on Friday, it could so very easily have been Venus Williams facing the unseeded Watson instead.
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Serena Williams has been walking a tightrope at the Grand Slam tournaments all season, and though she has done plenty of tottering on high with her racket in hand, she has yet to tumble and remains in position to complete the first Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
Watson, a quick and resourceful 23-year-old from Britain who once had a poster of the Williams sisters on her wall, was the latest would-be spoiler.
After losing what seemed to be a routine opening set against the much more powerful Serena Williams, Watson gradually adjusted to the pace and the occasion. She played clever tennis, mixing tactics and spins and, above all, playing outstanding, corner-to-corner defense against Williamss increasingly overwrought onslaught.
Watson, in her first match against Williams, eventually found herself serving for the match at 5-4 in the final set and twice reached deuce on her serve in that game.
But Williams, the worlds No. 1 player by a wide margin, again found a way to wriggle free. The effort, the emotion and perhaps the cumulative effect of all her tight matches this season appeared to leave her more drained than elated.
There was a few points that could have gone either way, Watson said. I just feel like when she needs to hit the line or needs to hit a winner, shell just do it, and thats what she did.
Williams, despite having played in 16 Wimbledons, had never faced a British player here, and the vibe after the opening set was a far cry from the restrained atmosphere traditionally associated with Centre Court, feeling much more like the Olympic atmosphere in 2012 when Andy Murray rode the wave to the gold medal in singles on these grounds.
Ive never seen them so vocal, Williams said. Ive never heard boos here, so that was new for me. Hey, Ive been through it all.
So it must seem, and now she is back to facing her sister. It will be their first match in any tournament since Venus Williams beat Serena Williams in three sets in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August and only their third match in the last six seasons.
Photo Watson, left, of Britain, with Serena Williams after their match on Friday. Watson was ahead, 5-4, in the final set before losing. Credit Suzanne Plunkett/ReutersIts unfortunate that its so soon, Serena said, referring to the round of 16. But were going to do the best that we can. I mean, shes my sister today. Shes my sister next week. Shes my sister next year. I think thats a little more important than a match. Well leave everything out on the court. When its done, you know, well go back to regular life.
Regular life is rather different now with the sisters no longer sharing a home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. and with Serena spending more time in France training with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.
But the connection remains deep, even if Venus remains more reluctant than her sister to discuss what their bond means on a tennis court.
I think everybodys always looking for some answer, Venus said Friday. And it really is you have to play the match. It doesnt matter whos across the net. You have to play, show up, compete, do your best, and it doesnt change.
But it is clearly more emotionally complex than that. How could it not be when Venus, the older sister who became a great champion, has had to graciously accept that the younger sister has become a greater one, winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles to Venuss seven and spending 247 weeks at No. 1 to Venuss 11?
I think early on, when Venus was winning more, that motivated Serena to want it, Witt said. And I think now Venus sees Serena doing it and is like: Look, why not me? I mean, Im training hard. I feel like Im still a top-five player, and I can beat anybody on a given day. Which she can.
For now, Serena leads the series by 14-11, which in pure statistical terms (if not emotional terms) makes this the closest rivalry of her career.
They will renew it for the first time since Venuss win in Montreal in August. That was on a hardcourt. This will be on grass, Venuss favorite surface, and she has been playing convincingly so far attacking effectively and doing a more consistent job than she has in years at hitting running forehands from the corner with power and precision.
Is she playing well enough to threaten her sister? Of course she is, and all the more so if she has a good service day.
Photo Venus Williams, left, with Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia after their third-round match on Friday. Williams, 35, won by 6-3, 6-2. Credit Stefan Wermuth/ReutersBut threatening Serena and defeating Serena remain two very different psychological propositions, as Serena has proved throughout her long, remarkable career and has underscored in 2015.
She had to rally twice from a set down in her run to the Australian Open title in January. She had to rally four times from a set down in her more agonizing run to the French Open title last month.
On Friday, she had to rally from 0-3 and two breaks of serve down in the third set. Watson had two points on her serve to go up 4-0, but Serena won them both, the second with an overhead that landed on the sideline.
There was still much work to do, including breaking Watson when she served for the upset. But that early phase of the third set was critical.
She should have won the match at this point, Serena said. She was up two breaks and playing really well.
Instead, Serena again fought off the danger, the crowd, the pressure, all of it, even if she expects the fans to be more for Venus than for her on Monday.
I would be rooting for Venus, she said.
And why?
I mean, shes been through so much, Serena said. Shes had a wonderful story.
In truth, this seems like a fine time to embrace both sisters stories and maybe even the match, although dont expect their mother, Oracene Price, to be one of those enjoying the view.
I dont know if Im coming, Price said. I might go take a picture of Big Ben that day.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/sports/tennis/serena-williams-avoids-upset-at-wimbledon-by-heather-watson.html
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