The two haughty tennis divas, Serena and Venus Williams, and top American sprinter Marion Jones, find them selves on the cover of magazines this month. No surprise there except that the publications are Elle, which profiles the Williams sisters, and Vogue which features Jones.

The word is that sport and fashion are about to collide even more than usual. While Jones mercifully does not have the awesome self possession of fellow American Olympic champion Florence Griffith Joyner, the Williams pair do.

"Serena and I are exactly the opposite of anything that ever happened in the game before," said Venus. "The old tennis world was pretty reserved. But Serena and I are bold, we stand out. We have colour. We're strong. We're pretty. We have personalities. We think things out. We're smart."