Williams' Sisters Last Meeting in Grand Slam Finals Lingers

Venus and Serena Williams have met in so many Grand Slam finals that their most recent encounter in the finals of Wimbledon 2008 barely seemed to register with most people. The fact that the two sisters had returned to top form at the all-England club hardly seemed that surprising given their domination of the event in the new millennium. And Nadal's dramatic five-set win in his classic comeback and legendary rivalry in the making with Roger Federer all but overshadowed Venus' fifth single championship win and final against her sister. Venus' subdued celebration seemed to downplay it as well.
But count them, folks--five wins at Wimbledon. No one but Graf and Navratilova have demonstrated the kind of expertise, comfort and knowledge on how to win Wimbledon championships in the women's singles draw as Venus has. And the place suits her--classy, quiet, attentive, knowing. Surely she must have known that she and her sister might be meeting in a Grand Slam final one of their last, if not their very last time.
A new generation of players is on the rise. Who better exemplified this than Nadal, one of the few younger players in this year's championship, where the veterans flourished? More than any other Grand Slam, Wimbledon is the Grand Slam where experience pays off. The rest of the season isn't so kind though and I can't help but wonder not only whether both Williams sisters will both ever meet each other in a Grand Slam final again, but whether both at this time next year will still be well enough and have the hunger to return to the finals. Where does Venus find the will to keep raising the round plate above her head when she's already done it so many times?

Comeback Veterans Light Up Wimbledon

Most of the women's semifinalists at this year's Wimbledon have one thing in common: they used to be teen phenoms. Whether the surprise silver medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics when she was 18 like Elena Dementieva, a runner-up in her very first U.S. Open at 17 like Venus Williams, or winner of the U.S. Open at 17 like Serena Williams, this year's women's semi-finalists may be seeded 5th, 6th and 7th and seem like comeback kids, but they're all seasoned veterans as they step closer to retirement in their late 20s. Jie Zheng doesn't exactly look like the future of women's tennis either, a late bloomer reaching the semi-finals for the first time of any Grand Slam at 25.
The comeback artists pepper the men's draw as well. Marat Safin could join Federer as just one shy of a career Grand Slam if he winds up winning this year's Wimbledon. Sure, that seems like a long shot, but who would have picked him to reach this year's semis? Arnaud Clement still is in the draw at 30, battling Rainer Schuettler at 32. Is this the senior's portion of the draw?!
It's even redemption and comeback time for Roger Federer. Safin makes the semis and everyone talks about what a great tournament he's having. Federer reaches the semis for the umpteenth Grand Slam in a row and everyone yawns. Federer hasn't won a Grand Slam since last year's U.S. Open, the third Grand Slam of the year for him in 2007 and the third year that he won three of the four Grand Slams. So, he hasn't won a Grand Slam yet this year. He's still the world's number one. Yet, go figure, if he wins, it no doubt will be characterized as a great comeback for him at the crotchety, death-defying age of 26.
And though he just won the French for the fourth time in a row, Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon is coming back from two straight years of losing in the finals on the grass.
So, which comeback kid will win? It seems laughable to call Venus a comeback kid at Wimbledon, doesn't it? She's looking strong again, despite her outlandishly low seed for the four-time champion. I don't care what her ranking is, you can never count her out on this surface and frankly she and Serena seem to have a pretty clear path to another historic, all-American, all-Williams final.
Now wouldn't that be a fine way to celebrate the 4th?
And on the men's side, do you actually need to ask who the finalists will be? With Federer and Nadal in the draw, all rounds before the finals on the men's side really are starting to look completely superfluous. My money's on the Rog for this one. Grass is to him what clay is to Nadal.