Big sister calls all the shots in epic style

Older Williams sister proves herself to be greatest grass player of her generation as she overwhelms Serena

AT LAST the tennis told the story – Venus Williams won her fifth Wimbledon title yesterday, beating her sister, Serena, 7-5, 6-4, to prove beyond doubt that she is the greatest grass court player of her generation.

It was an awesome display of power, aggression, athleticism and nerve. And Serena wasn't half bad either. But put Venus on the Centre Court on the final Saturday of Wimbledon and she is a remarkable player and a terrifying opponent. Once upon a time, her sister knew how to beat her here but that was five years ago. More experienced, more mature and, quite simply, much better now, Venus is unstoppable in SW19.

The sisters are the most infuriating of sports stars. When they want to, they can dominate the tour but they so seldom want to. Serena is the self-professed "crossover celebrity" while Venus is the off-court businesswoman and designer. Their extra-curricular activities are well documented and seem to occupy more of their time and imagination than the simple business of playing tennis. And yet the sisters have outlasted their peers and, as they plough on in search of major trophies, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis can only look on from the comfort of retirement.

This was the seventh all- Williams grand slam final, the third at Wimbledon and the 16th meeting of the sisters in all. For the conspiracy theorists who predicted a carve-up – a "family decision" as Elena Dementieva had described it last week before being leant on by the WTA to explain herself and apologise – the numbers just did not add up.

Venus had won four Wimbledon trophies to Serena's two. But Serena had won eight grand slam trophies overall to Venus' six. And Serena had won five of their previous six grand slam finals. Pick the bones out of that. Exactly whose turn was it to win what? The whispers surrounding the sisters' finals are based on the fact that their matches are usually rubbish. Two of the most aggressive players on the tour square up to each other and one of them invariably freezes. Only five of their encounters have gone the distance but even the rare three-setters have been emotionless slugfests.

In every other aspect of their lives, the sisters are united against the rest of the world. They are friends, sparring partners, shopping buddies, confidantes and occasional housemates. Offend one of them at your peril as they will both hunt you down to gain revenge.

On tour, they have always been apart from the rest. Thanks to their background in the less fashionable end of Compton, California, their colour and, to a degree, their religion (both are practising Jehovah's Witnesses), they have proudly stood alone in the predominantly white, predominantly middle class sport. And then, in the biggest finals, they are asked to stand in front of those from whom they have protected themselves and each other and, for the delectation of the paying public, humiliate the other. It is no wonder it has taken the sisters ten years to work out how to play it properly.

There was only one hint of a "family decision" yesterday. Serena, having lost her early lead in the first set, was getting more and more annoyed with herself. As she let fly with one wayward backhand, she knew she had fluffed it and yelled out "No!". Sure enough, the ball sailed wide but no one called the line while the umpire, Carlos Ramos, called a let because Serena's howl had been a distraction to Venus. No one paid any attention. Serena knew she had made the error, the point belonged to Venus, the game went to big sis and it was time for a sit down and a think. Both sisters marched to their chairs for the 90-second interval while Ramos was left to twiddle his thumbs and suck his teeth.

Serena and Venus are like chalk and cheese: Serena is the street fighter while Venus frequently appears to be away with the fairies. She is vague, quiet and, on the surface, the gentler of the two. But when it comes to taking on Serena, that same eccentric nature allows her to block out all that is going on around her and just concentrate on leathering the ball for all she is worth. On the other side of the net, the harder Serena tries, the more emotional she becomes and when Venus matches her shot for shot, she starts to unravel at the seams.

At first it was Venus who appeared nervous, dropping her serve in the opening game. She was struggling with the gusting wind and the bright sunshine as she tried to serve. Time and again would toss the ball up, only to catch it again on the way down and begin her service action all over again. And every time she did this, there was only the most cursory of apologies to her sister.

But then Venus clicked into championship-winning gear. From throwing in a double fault to stand two points away from dropping her serve for a second time, she suddenly attacked the ball, ramped up the muscle power and started to rip into her sister.

When Serena aimed a full-blooded drive right at Venus, the champion played a reflex volley off her stomach, won the point and glared. Serena offered no hint of an apology. Not much family love lost there, then.

When Venus broke back to level the first set at 4-4, Serena's chance had gone and she knew it. Venus was deadly at the net, fearsome on the serve (her fastest delivery clocked 129mph) and ruthless from the baseline. Her fifth title was indeed a family affair – but only because Venus is the best grass court player in the Williams family.

SIZZLING SIBLINGS LAND DOUBLES TITLE

VENUS and Serena Williams returned to Centre Court three hours after doing battle in the singles final yesterday to secure the Wimbledon doubles title with a 6-2 6-2 thumping of American Lisa Raymond and Australian Samantha Stosur.

The American sisters put aside Venus's straight-sets victory in the day's showpiece to stand on the same side of the net and launch an array of powerful shots at the 16th seeds. The 11th seeds stormed through the first set by breaking in each of Raymond's service games, dishing out groundstrokes that their opponents could not touch. An enthralling match featuring some fast and furious rallies at the net drew to an end in just under an hour when Venus lobbed to give the sisters their third doubles title at the All England Club.

• Second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic defeated Jonas Bjorkman and Kevin Ullyett 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-3 to win their first Wimbledon doubles title. Swede Bjorkman's hopes of lifting a fourth Wimbledon doubles title before retiring at the end of the season fizzled out in the third set, Nestor and Zimonjic forcing a break in the fourth game.