The Williams sisters took Centre Court in the 2009 Wimbledon finals to determine the grass court champion and conclude some serious family business. So serious that their father could not bear to watch.

The elder Williams declared his intention to mow the lawn during the finals and boarded a plane for Florida the night before the sisters faced off in the finals. In another dominating Grand Slam finals performance, Serena captured the tournament that slipped away last year and hoisted the Venus Rosewater Dish on Independence Day. The little sister had accomplished her goal and avenged her 2008 loss to Venus.

With a devastating serve and an overpowering disposition, 27-year old Serena overcame her big sister 7-6 (3), 6-2 in a near flawless performance before a packed house at London’s All England Club. With the win, Serena stopped Venus’s run of five straight Wimbledon titles and became the first player to win a title after a six-year lapse.

Venus had been the more dominant performer entering the finals. Her 120 mph serve and graceful, though bandaged, court coverage, along with her calm, steady personality appeared to have the elegant defending champ poised for victory. But, her younger sister and doubles partner would have none of it.

Today, there were no “nice shot,” no “good try,” exchanges between the two sisters who often drill with each other. Today was business, all business. Today, two partners, great friends and sisters went on the court to play by themselves and for themselves.

The setting is the favorite for Venus, who has only lost five matches in her career at Wimbledon. Serena had won the tournament in 2002 and 2003 before Venus began her run of titles and has been on a roll since capturing the U.S. Open in 2008. This year she has added the Australian Open and now Wimbledon to attain the lofty level of 11 time Grand Slam champion.

In the first set, both players played well and served especially well. With first serves approaching 120 mph, neither player could manage a break although Serena threatened on two occasions and Venus had two break points at 4-4.

Serena had asserted her serve early. Venus had no answers. At the conclusion of the match, Venus was only able to win 8 points off her sister’s serve and her inability to pressure the serve spelled doom for the tiebreaker as well as for the second set.

Early in the opening set, Venus displayed her winning form. She moved well to the ball, held her position through impact and showed near perfect form. Serena played the power game that overcame Victoria Azarenka and the talented Elena Dementieva. Serena tends to move aggressively into her groundstrokes and occasionally comes up and off the ball. In the finals, an unusually relaxed and comfortable Serena stayed down and blistered forehands and backhand at her sister.

The Williams sisters play the way they conduct themselves. Venus is quiet, serene, poised even reserved while Serena is gregarious, powerful and a bit higher strung. With more than 930 tour wins between them, these ladies have the experience and championship know-how to intimidate the younger pretenders to the throne.

While Dinara Safina remains the top ranked player on the tour, tennis fans and other competitors acknowledge Venus, Serena and Elena Dementieva as the three best players and competitors.

In the tiebreaker, Serena broke early and held all her serves to go up 6-2. Venus held one serve but Serena executed a perfect lob to seal the set.

The first set toll wore on Venus. She began to press her serve and faulted at key times. Serena was zeroed in on the second serve, moving forcefully into the returns. Unable to land first serves, Venus was powerless to defend the onslaught. After breaking at 2-2, Serena ran of four straight games, winning the second set with ease.

Serena raised her impressive Grand Slam final match record to 11 wins opposed by just 3 losses.

In post match interviews, Serena said it was the first time in her career that she “did not expect to win.” She walked on to Centre Court with nothing to lose and felt no pressure.

Serena Doubles her Pleasure

Still feeling like they had something to prove, Serena and Venus Williams mended their emotional fences and paired up on the same side of the net to overcome third seeded Australians Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in a well played 7-6 (4), 6-4 final. The one hour thirty minute triumph completed a most successful day for America’s Williams sisters who dominated both the singles and doubles events.

Featuring two of the game’s best services, the winners chalked up 9 aces compared to 2 from the Aussies. The Americans scored a sterling 45 outright winners and were relentless on the attack.

The win was the pair’s eight Grand Slam title and third Wimbledon Doubles trophy. In the last match of the day, the fourth seeded ladies put an American stamp on both ladies tournaments and paved the way for the USA’s best performance at Wimbledon in years.

Venus Williams – Perfect in Quarters

One big difference between Venus Williams and every other player left in the Ladies Draw at Wimbledon is that Venus is truly enjoying herself. Where other players are filled with tension, Venus is relaxed, comfortable and at home. Venus Williams, five-time Wimbledon Champion, is a beautiful tennis player and an exquisite ambassador of the game she plays.

As impressive as Venus has been on the court, she has been even more extraordinary off the court. Responding to tireless, senseless questions, Venus has been patient, gracious and even complimentary of lower echelon opponents.

Through her 5 matches, Venus has lost a total of 19 games. Yet, she has complimented the play of her opponents, been gracious and congratulatory in match-end handshakes. Venus Williams has acted like a champion and a player that expects to win the title.

Her 6-1, 6-2, drubbing of Aggie Radwanska not only showed the disparity in the ladies seedings but served as little more than a tuneup for the 3 seed. One had the feeling that this one could have been even more lopsided had Venus chosen that route.

As it was, the 67-minute skirmish ended as quickly as it began. There was no question who the better player was. With Venus powering 120 mph serves. Aggie was powerless to respond.

To be honest, Aggie did well to get this far. On this surface, at this point in the career of Venus Williams, Aggie suffered what any other player would have endured; a decisive, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination defeat at the hand of a great champion. Venus Williams will play in the finals at Wimbledon 2009. That match may well be her first test of the event.

Dinara Barely!

Dinara Safina let it all hang out in her quarterfinal battle with unheralded German Sabine Lisicki. Sporting a little more exposure than Wimbledon’s Centre Court is accustomed to, Dinara caught up with Sabine and then passed her by in the 2.5-hour match.

Empowered by 12 aces and by Dinara’s ineffective serving, Lisicki mounted more of a challenge than expected. Safina, the number one seed, recorded an inexplicable 15 double faults and seemed out of sorts throughout much of the match. The winner also committed 38 unforced errors in a performance that can hardly breed confidence heading to a semifinal meeting with Venus Williams.

Once again, Dinara often appears more concerned with approval from her coaches than her on-court bearing. While a competitive match, it hardly seemed compelling tennis.

Midway through the third set, Sabine needed assistance from the trainer, but the handwriting was on the wall. Safina recovered from the 5-7 first set to capture the second at 6-4 and storm through the third at 6-1.

For Dinara, it was her second three set win on Centre Court. The young Russian needs to pull herself in for her semifinal match against Venus. Another performance like today and she will once again be distraught at a Grand Slam. No player can hand Venus Williams 15 double faults and expect to be standing in two hours.

Elena – What’s Up?

In the wake of the Williams sisters, Elena Dementieva’s quiet, determined run through the Wimbledon field has gone relatively unnoticed. Yet, she has picked herself up from some subpar Grand Slam performances and resurrected her ranking to gain a berth in the semis.

Her total dominance of Francesca Schiavone culminated a Wimbledon charge in which she has not lost a set. The four seed appears poised to challenge.

Elena is the proud possessor of 438 career victories and looks every bit of her ranking. The pretty Russian was a semifinalist here last year and knows what to expect on Centre Court where she will be a decided underdog.

But, today she was the favorite, a role that has given her some trouble of late. The 5 foot 11 inch, 141 pound beauty reached the finals at the U.S Open and at Roland Garros in 2004 but then retreated. A bridesmaid-never-the-bride syndrome has followed Elena for almost four years, but something feels a little different this time around.

As with Dinara Safina, perhaps Elena’s sights were set a little lower. Perhaps, she has been successful because expectations have been reduced or because the media has been busy elsewhere. Regardless, Elena looks ready.

However, she did offer up 9 double faults and those kinds of stats do not get past the semis when a Williams is lurking in the weeds. She countered with 13 outright winners, but she is going to need considerably more firepower against team USA.

For the 43rd ranked Schiavone, a terrific run came to an abrupt end in a little more than an hour on Court One. The Wimbledon quarterfinals have clearly affirmed the seeding as the semis will consist of the top four seeds, a rare occurrence on the Ladies’ tour.

Serena Williams – Wow!

I have to say, I picked Victoria Azarenka. I like her. I still do. But, Serena, you are tough. You are powerful. You are a determined force who does not look like someone who will drop the ball until you have crossed the goal line.

Serena Williams is an exquisite tennis player with the mindset of a middle linebacker. She just keeps coming at you. In her quarterfinal match, she defeated probably the third best grass court player in the draw in Victoria Azarenka.

It was more than a win. It was more than a decisive win. It was surgical. So surgical in fact that it even quieted my frisky pony, Victoria. Serena Williams was so dominant that she beat the third best player in the draw 6-2, 6-3 in such a way that there was never any doubt about the outcome.

And, Azarenka played well! Better than anyone else has against either Williams sister. Victoria looked like she belonged on the court with Serena. When she broke and held to go up 3-2 in the second set, there was a glimmer of hope for more tennis today.

Of course, you knew what would happen. Serena took one look at her family and answered with two breaks and two holds to end the day.

Serena Williams had 9 aces, no double faults and 28 winners. I mean who can compete with that! Oh yes, there is that other American, the taller one, the one with 5 Wimbledon titles. That is the match of the tourney. That is the story of Ladies tennis this year.

Yes, Elena will go all out. Yes, Dinara finally has nothing to lose. But, the William’s girls have a date to play in the finals. You can book that one.

When beautiful 19-year old Victoria Azarenka wins the 2009 Wimbledon Championship, she will have prevailed over the most difficult draw in women’s tennis history. There, I have said it. I have said that Victoria will prevail and win the championship. I have said the draw was stacked against her.

You might remember that I also said Melanie Oudin would be Wimbledon’s Cinderella. She was. But, Victoria Azarenka is not too far behind. When she hoists the silverware, she will have earned the right, believe me.

Many of the Brits do not like Victoria. She grunts, groans and moans her way through points and matches. Apparently, these Brits are unfamiliar with LaMaze. Women’s tennis today sounds like a maternity ward. But, that’s the way it is. It is far easier to count the touring non-grunters than to count the grunters.

As Victoria recently said, “I have been doing it since I was 10 years old. I wasn’t really strong and that was what helped me to accelerate more, to put more power to the ball.” You know what, Victoria, if it works for you, it works for me. But, please don’t do it when you hoist the Championship Trophy.

On a day where my other Cinderella, Melanie Oudin, succumbed to the effects of too much media, too much hype and forgot that this was another match against another girl that she could beat, Victoria Azarenka overcame a very stubborn Nadia Petrova in three tense sets.

On a day where Venus beat Ana into submission and where Serena lost just four games and where the surprising Elena Dementieva looks ready to snap out of her slump and move past Elena Vesnina, Victoria Azarenka was out there a long time, working hard, hitting one gorgeous drive after another and moving gracefully across the court. We were blessed to see her play.

And, Nadia Petrova had it working. The Russian 10 seed, served powerfully, hit beautiful shots of her own and used a devastating drop shot to counter every move Victoria made. Victoria was soon grunting and surging, groaning and reaching and winning.

You may remember that Victoria had Venus on the ropes at Melbourne before all sorts of unusual things happened. You may remember that Victoria reached the quarters at Roland Garros. You may forget that she is a very nice, very elegant 19-year old. She is, trust me. You would like to have her over for dinner.

She is also trying to fend off a well-traveled group of American and Russian hierarchy. The Brits have made sure it was a full time job. In the 3rd round, she drew the testy Sorana Cirstea, of Paris fame, today Petrova, tomorrow Serena, Thursday Elena and most likely Venus in the finals. Wow! Could it be any more difficult?

Take for example Dinara Safina. She overcame hard playing Amelie Mauresemo and now plays Sabine Lisicki. Dinara may choke again, but could it be an easier?

Venus draws Odin conquerer, Aggie Radwanska, who I am sure is very pleasant despite not being welcome at my house anymore. Elena, who has yet to lose a set and is quietly and quickly moving through the draw plays unseeded Francesca Schiavone. Elena has some choking issues of her own, but really how does that happen? How are all these talents at the bottom of the draw sheet?

Hey, if you looked at Victoria’s draw, you would grunt and groan too. So, instead of being a typical tennis frontrunner, come on over to the world of Victoria Azarenka and see how it is in the real world of a non-prima donna tennis champion. You see that is what Azarenka is all about. That is why she has so many fans. She is a hard-working, grind-it-out player that leaves nothing on the court. When Victoria walks off the court, she is spent, emotionally and physically.

After Azarenka took the first set from Petrova in a tiebreaker, Nadia needed a timeout to get some ice on her legs and have her blood pressure checked. These things happen when it is going well for Azarenka.

Petrova recovered. You knew she would. She stormed through the second set at 6-2. The Russian’s serve was dominant and it looked like the cooled off Azarenka would not avenge last year’s loss.

In the third set, there were five breaks but Victoria captured the key one at 4-3. In the final three games, Victoria lost just three points. Yes, she groaned, yes she grunted and yes she played like a champions for 2 hours and 35 minutes in the grueling heat.

Victoria Azarenka, your time has come. Remmeber what you did to Serena in Key Biscayne this year. Take no prisoners. Play like a champion and grunt as loud as you like. You are the best!

After her first round, three set win, India’s Sania Mirza graduated to Court 12 on Day Three. Let’s re-phrase that. After her first round win and by virtue of the strength of her 28th seeded Rumanian counterpart, Sorana Cirstea, Sania Mirza moved up to court 12 for her early morning Day Three match. She was happy about it.

Perhaps a little surprised by 19-year-old Sorana’s blossoming popularity, which has surged since her impressive quarterfinal showing in Paris, Sania prepared herself for the persistent challenge the Romanian would pose. She has played stronger opponents, she has played weaker opponents. She has prevailed against stronger and succumbed to lesser opponents. Whatever the result, Sania is always credit to the game and a joy to watch.

Although doubles may be her strength, Sania Mirza enters every event at every tournament. Singles, doubles or mixed doubles, it matters not. Put a racket in her hand, throw three tennis balls on the surface with a net and an opponent and Sania Mirza will play. For Sania, it is game on! Any time, any place, any how.

She brings a certain joy to the court. Perhaps not effervescent, but certainly never sullen, Sania simply enjoys playing tennis. And, it shows! Refreshing, exciting, novel and sometimes downright thrilling, Sania lays it on the court for all the fans to see. It is just the way she is.

Never an excuse, never a whine, just a sportsperson perfecting her game, Sania would be the first to admit she does not have all the answers. After 6 years on the tour, Mirza remains a work-in-progress.

As one of the game’s most gracious personalities and most fetching beauties, Sania fills a void in the world of professional tennis. Once ranked as high as 27th in 2007, she is currently the 85th singles player. But, she is the 37th ranked doubles player and teamed with Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi, she claimed the mixed doubles title at Melbourne.

Some tour players might flinch at the mention of a mixed title on a resume. Not Sania. She entered, she played and she won. That is what you do when you are a budding doubles expert. You play singles to be ready for the doubles. And, every match, singles or doubles that you win prolongs your tennis career. That is how it is in the world of tennis for a work-in-progress.

On Day Three, Sania started fast. She jumped to a lead she could not hold. Once Sorana rid herself of the jitters, she began to pound the forehands that overwhelmed opponents in Paris. Both ladies chased down every ball. Mirza began to gamble, to go for winners. At the end of the first set, she was out of her game. Sorana claimed the set 6-4.

Amazingly she committed 30 unforced errors, compared to just 9 by Cirstea. Sania double faulted 6 times compared top Sorana’s one. Mirza only landed 53% of her first serves. That may well be the statistic that sealed her doom.

The shapely beauty was serving at 4-4 and the roof caved in. The serve left, the groundstrokes tightened and she fell to the mercy of the relentless Romanian.

To her credit, Cirstea went about her work. She broke to go up 5-4 and polished off the set quickly with a strong service game. Cirstea will move on to face tough Victoria Azarenka in a good third round pairing.

Sania will move to the backcourts for ladies’ doubles and mixed, where she is seeded 13th. She makes her living back there. Her loyal followers will be there, celebrating her tennis and the joy of her life. Nice match, ladies! Thank you!