Serena looking for hat-trick

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:39

Serena won the title in 2002 and 2003 but last year’s SW19 final between the pair ended in a 7-5 6-4 victory for Venus. Venus, seeking her sixth title at the All England Club, has not lost a set at Wimbledon since the third round two years ago but Serena does not fear her domination.

“Going into this final I have nothing to lose,” said Serena. “I feel like obviously Venus is playing the best tennis at this tournament. Start with that, and then just keep positive and go with it. So I think that if I can do that, then it will be good.”

The pair took vastly differing routes to Saturday’s appointment. Serena played the best match of the Ladies’ Championship so far – and the longest recorded for a semi-final – when she beat Elena Dementieva 6-7 7-5 8-6, while Venus took only 51 minutes to beat world number one Dinara Safina 6-1 6-0.

While they are reticent to talk about their private lives, the sisters are not shy when it comes to their mutual admiration of each other.

“The basis of my whole career was learning off Venus,” said Serena. “Especially when she started out and I was in the stands watching. I was able to learn a lot and actually gain experience, even though I wasn’t playing the actual matches.

“We really love to play. We just love being out there. We love the competition. It’s a great job. It’s a privilege to be out there and we really love that opportunity. Our routine is the same.”

There was an identical tone from Venus who added: “We definitely learn from not only some of the tougher matches but also from the success. It goes both ways. We learn from when it is tough and when it is easy.

“We didn’t have anything to show. We just bring our tennis on the court and we’re just ourselves. That’s really all it’s about.”

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