WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
Coverage: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, website streaming (UK only) and text commentary, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer
Tennis on the BBC

Venus beat Serena in last year's final to claim her fifth Wimbledon title

By Piers Newbery

Svetlana Kuznetsova's win at the French Open earlier this month not only secured a second Grand Slam title for the Russian, but also ended any hopes the Williams sisters had of a 'Family Slam'.

With Serena having won the previous two major titles in Australia and the US, after Venus had beaten her sister to claim a fifth Wimbledon title last July, the French Open was the only Grand Slam trophy missing from the Williams sideboard.

It was always going to be the toughest challenge for the American siblings, with Serena's 2002 win over Venus the only time either has lifted the trophy at Roland Garros.

But while a succession of players have battled over the number one ranking since Justine Henin retired last May, the Williams sisters have reasserted their dominance where the major prizes are concerned.

And nowhere are the sisters more comfortable than at Wimbledon, where at least one of them has appeared in eight of the last nine finals and three times the pair have faced each other.

I think Venus is probably the favourite to win, she really loves to play on grass courts - she's maybe the best ever on grass Elena Dementieva

Kuznetsova derailed Serena's hopes at the French Open with a dramatic quarter-final win but travels to Wimbledon more in hope than expectation.

"It's a completely different surface but I think Venus has won the last two Wimbledons so she's strong there, and it's going to be very tough to play against either of them," says the Russian.

"I believe in myself and I can do well but it's definitely going to be harder than the French Open. I'll give it my best shot and see how far I can get. I'm going there just to enjoy it, I'm not setting any goals."

Kuznetsova's win over Serena was only her second in seven attempts, and while she holds a 4-3 record against Venus their only meeting on grass was a straightforward win for the American in the 2007 Wimbledon quarter-finals.

The Russian has yet to make it past the last eight at Wimbledon and asked about the chances of a French Open hangover, admits: "I'm a little bit afraid of that."

Of the other possible contenders, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are struggling for form, Maria Sharapova is only just coming back from a nine-month injury lay-off, rising stars Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki are short of experience, and world number one Dinara Safina must be suffering a lack of confidence after two hellish Grand Slam final experiences already this year.

"There are others," says a rather unconvincing Kuznetsova, "like Maria, who's getting in shape - she's tough at Wimbledon and will be very dangerous, she's a great player - and there's Azarenka... these girls are tough to compete against."

One player who is increasingly overlooked as a possible Grand Slam champion is Elena Dementieva, despite her world ranking of four.

The 27-year-old Russian became a byword for tennis nerves as her serve collapsed in her two Grand Slam finals to date at the 2004 French Open and US Open.

But Dementieva remains a match for anyone from the baseline and made some headway last year with semi-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open, and an emotional gold medal at the Olympic Games.

The Williams sisters loom large though, with Venus ending her run at Wimbledon and Serena doing the same in Australia this year when the Russian appeared to be the form player in the draw.

606: DEBATE Who will win at Wimbledon?

And Dementieva admits that it is hard to look past last year's finalists at Wimbledon as so few players are comfortable on grass.

"I think Venus is probably the favourite to win, she really loves to play on grass courts - she's maybe the best ever on grass - but it's so unpredictable, you never know what's going to happen with the women's game," says Dementieva.

"The big difference with Venus is the way she moves on a grass court. I think most of the women are in trouble moving side to side when it comes to the grass and she seems very comfortable in her movement. She's a great athlete and she has a big advantage with her serve, it's very powerful. I think just the whole game really suits this surface.

"Experience is an advantage. I remember playing in my first Grand Slam final, I was really nervous, I couldn't really show anything on the court and I think it comes with experience.

"We know that when it comes to the Grand Slams the Williams sisters can be very powerful, really improve their game match after match and show unbelievable game at the end of tournaments. I think that's what we need when it comes to Grand Slams, which are two-week events."

As for the world number one, Safina has plenty left to prove after falling short in her third Grand Slam final in Paris.

There have been plenty of people willing to question her status as the best in the world while she lacks a major title, not least Serena who proclaimed herself "the real number one" only last month, but Dementieva has faith in her fellow Muscovite.

"It's a tricky question and I'm sure she's going to be in trouble answering this all the time, but I think she really deserves to be on the top right now with the way she was playing last season and the beginning of this season. I'm sure she's capable of winning a Grand Slam very soon."

Maybe not in the next few weeks though as Safina appears to enjoy grass courts about as much as her brother, Marat, and has never been past the third round at the All England Club.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version