This year tennis fans across the world may again witness, for the fifth time, a show of sibling rivalry at its best on centre court, as the prospect of a Williams vs. Williams final at Wimbledon is taking shape.
Five-time champion Venus Williams has, at age 36, become the oldest Grand Slam semi-finalist in 22 years after beating Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6, (7-5) 6-2 in the quarter finals. Venus will now face fourth seed Angelique Kerber before she can make it to the final.
The other Williams sister, Serena, the current World No. 1, made her entry into the semi-final round after defeating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. She has won the Wimbledon crown six times, and is this year’s defending champion. If she wins, this will be her 22nd Grand Slam title.
Serena Williams is famous for her ‘killer instinct’ on the court, and some analysts feel it puts too much undue stress on the sisters when they end up playing a Grand Slam match against each other, with victory becoming ‘awkward’ for whoever emerges as the winner.
Serena acknowledged this as true, saying she would be delighted if Venus won the championship, but only if she’s not playing against her.