There is no time for anyone in tennis to take a moment, pause for breath and admire the view after climbing to the top. Standing still is a risky move when there is always someone approaching from behind with ominous intent, ready to knock you off your perch. That helps to explain why the Williams sisters are such a phenomenon.
It has been seven years since they both reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and perhaps the best way of summing up their incredible longevity is that the two players who joined them in the last four are no longer playing tennis. The world No1 back in 2009 was not Serena Williams but Dinara Safina, a young Russian whose lofty status was dismantled during a 6-1, 6-0 defeat by Venus Williams.
Safina, the younger sister of Marat Safin, who was one of the few players capable of living with Roger Federer at the height of his powers, would soon fade into obscurity after losing three grand slam finals in the space of a year. The 30-year-old has not been seen on the WTA tour since losing to Julia Goerges in the second round of the Madrid Open in 2011, by which time she had slipped 128 places in the world rankings.
While Venus swaggered past Safina, Serena was pushed to breaking point by another Russian, the skilled Elena Dementieva, saving a match point before winning an epic match 6-7, 7-5, 8-6.
Dementieva retired at the age of 29 a year later, saying that it “was very emotional for me to play all year”. She is only a few weeks younger than Serena, who is still going strong at 34, still the world No1, still chasing that historic 22nd grand slam title.
If they are both victorious on Thursday - Elena Vesnina and Angelique Kerber might have other ideas - Serena will be the hot favourite to beat her older sister in Saturday’s final. Venus won the last of her five Wimbledon titles eight years ago and no longer brings the same level of intimidation to the court as Serena.
Yet her story is remarkable. Nineteen years since Venus first played at Wimbledon, she is back in the last four for the first time in seven years. The eighth seed has not been in a grand slam semi-final since 2010 and at 36 is the oldest woman to make the last four here since a 37-year-old Martina Navratilova in 1994. Navratilova beat Gigi Fernandez and went on to the final where she lost to Conchita Martinez.
In 2009, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an auto-immune illness that causes chronic fatigue and muscle soreness. Medical experts expressed doubts that she would ever play again. But here she is. Venus will be the slight underdog against Kerber but she will have plenty of well-wishers against the fourth seed.
It was Kerber who defeated Serena in the Australian Open final in January, stunning the world No1 with her power game and retrieval skills. Serena has been locked on 21 grand slam titles since winning Wimbledon last year, losing to Roberta Vinci in her US Open semi-final and to Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final last month.
Despite those setbacks, though, retirement has never been on the agenda for either Serena or Venus. The physical and mental grind of modern tennis takes its toll on many players but they still love what they do.
Having broken through racial barriers in America to become two of the biggest and most iconic stars in the world, they have no plans to quit yet. “I’m surprised of the longevity of it,” Serena said. “That kind of definitely took me by surprise. But also, you know, when you’re younger and you have a dream and you say it and you believe it, that’s one thing. But for it to really happen and to come true, it’s just a completely different emotion.”
Serena is the more volcanic of the two on court. She has her eruptions, her meltdowns, her mini-dramas, often producing her best tennis during a crisis, whereas Venus is more methodical, calmer, less likely to lose her temper.
That approach has helped Venus during this tournament. Other than a three-setter against Christina McHale in the third round, Serena has cruised into the last four. Venus has had to battle in all of her matches, not least when she beat Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in the third round, and she will have to play gutsy tennis against Kerber. The German is yet to drop a set.
Serena’s match looks easier on paper. Vesnina, who played two doubles matches on Wednesday, is the world No50 and the 29-year-old Russian has never reached a grand slam semi-final before. Moreover she has never taken a set off the American, losing all four of their previous matches. It ought to be straightforward. Yet Serena will take nothing for granted against the doubles specialist. Those defeats in Melbourne, New York and Paris still sting, heightening her nerves.
“She has a really good grass court game,” Serena said. “She has a really good serve. I notice that she always works on things and she always improves her game. She’s also very aggressive. She comes to the net. I know her game really, really well. It’s good to play someone’s game that you know.”
They have seen it all.
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