The Williams Sisters

As everyone else in the world of women’s tennis seems to be losing their heads, Venus and Serena Williams once again find themselves looking at a Wimbledon final.

With the four top seeds out, all without really performing, Serena Williams now finds herself as the tournament favourite, according to online bookies Blue Square. Venus, we must remember, came from nowhere to win the title last year, and will surely be favourite against Elena Dementieva (the woman whom I would have put some money on were I into sports betting) who started the tournament as an outsider as 40/1.

One thing, however, may play in Dementieva’s favour and that is the distaste that the Williams sisters have for facing each other in really big matches. They almost always are bad matches, and no one will be looking forwards to the prospect of the two facing each other in the Wimbledon final.

The draw this year has been remarkably open. Ivanovic stuttered almost from the first day, and Sharapova crashed out in the second round, making more of a fuss with her dress sense than she made with her tennis at any stage. Kuznetsova struggled with a knee injury and tumbled out in the fourth round, and the Jankovic failed to find any form before being beaten by Tanasugarn. Without the top four seeds the Williams sisters installed themselves as firm favourites for the tournament and progressed with relative ease.

No one in the women’s game seems to be keen to step up and fill the shoes of Henin, who recently retired from the game at only the age of 25. All of the top players seem to struggle with mental frailty and inconsistency. Whilst the Williams sisters on the other hand don’t play all that many tournaments, when they do they invariably progress a long way, mental frailty is not an accusation that could be levelled at them.

The remarkable thing is, with two recent world number ones retiring at the age of 23 and 25 the Williams sisters are still going. It is no big secret that they are not all that enamoured with the sport all the time, but they are incredibly good at it, perhaps because they don’t flog themselves around the circuit week in, week out.

If the two meet in the final it’s difficult to say who will win, Serena seems the more likely option, but Venus has probably been playing better lately and has won the title more times. Both are equally comfortable on the grass, and both are incredibly powerful, the feeling will remain though that whilst the two sisters are quality players, the openness of the women’s draw this year has not been due to too much talent, but, rather, not enough.

Sports Betting Odds provided by Blue Square