So what was that number she did after beating American Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 for her first Wimbledon singles title? This was certainly one small leap for tennis, with Venus becoming the first African-American woman to win a Wimbledon singles title since Althea Gibson in 1958. But it was followed by countless giant, windmill-like leaps for Venus, as if someone had broken open all 6 feet 1 of tennis composure and childlike joy just bounced out. “I’ve been working so hard all of my life to be here,” Venus says. “This is unbelievable.”
Venus Williams wasn’t supposed to win at Wimbledon, at least this time. She’s been rusty after missing six months this year with tendinitis in her wrists. She has fallen in love with her community-college fashion courses–so in love that her own father, Richard, predicted four months ago that Venus was on the verge of retirement. Even after she blasted past archrival Martina Hingis to set up an all-Williams semifinal, the tennis gods–Navratilova, Agassi, Sampras–picked Serena to win the battle of the sisters.
How did all the predictions go wrong and Venus go so right? In addition to the usual motivations–the trophy plate, the $650,000 prize money, the chance to whisper with the elegant Duchess of Kent–Venus had a powerful, personal incentive to win: getting even. As much as she and Serena dismiss talk of a sibling rivalry, the fact remains that Baby Sis had already won her Grand Slam trophy at last year’s U.S. Open. Venus, who at age 20 is 15 months older than Serena, was heartbroken she didn’t get there first.“All my life I’ve dreamed of winning a Grand Slam, and when I wake up it’s a nightmare,” she said during her post-Wimbledon speech. “I don’t have to wake up like that anymore.”
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that no Wimbledon champion ever walked a tougher road to victory. In addition to beating the No. 1 (Hingis) and No. 2 (Davenport) players in the world, Venus had to crush her own sister. Only one other set of sisters–Lilian and Maud Watson–have met at such a high level at Wimbledon, and they did it in 1884, without the incessant probing of the world media. By the time the Williamses played in the semifinal, the sisters were fed up with reporters asking about the pressure of going for blood against their own flesh. “We’ve had enough of these questions,” Venus said after a doubles match. “We’re going to go out there, we’re going to play. What more do you want us to say?”
As it turns out, she had something much more important to say after beating Serena 6-2, 7-6. When her little sister double-faulted on match point and nearly burst into tears, Venus quickly met her at the net and said, “Let’s get out of here.” No bows. No victory dance. Not even a smile. Venus explained that she simply wanted to get Serena off the court before the press tried to “harass her or anything.” “I’m always the big sister,” Venus said. “I always take care of Serena. I’m always worried about her.” Even if she hadn’t beaten Davenport, that sentiment alone would have made Venus a winner.
Since she exploded onto the pro tour in 1997 with a surprise trip to the U.S. Open final, Venus has been lumped with Hingis, Anna Kournikova and, later, Serena, as one of the brash Teen Queens of tennis. Her motherly attitude is the latest sign that she is growing up. Last October, Venus played her first professional tournament alone, without any family chaperone-and she won, beating Hingis in the finals of the Swisscom Challenge. Soon thereafter, she ditched her trademark hair beads and replaced them with flowing, reddish tresses. Perhaps most difficult of all, she’s learning to handle the repercussions of her father’s often-controversial remarks.
Richard Williams has been setting the tennis world on its ear for years-by refusing to let his girls play any junior tournaments, by insisting that he and his wife, Brandi, be their only coaches, by loudly predicting that they’d be champions before they’d even begun to win. At this year’s Wimbledon, he rankled the strawberries-and-cream conservatives with his handmade signs–IT’S VENUS’ PARTY AND NO ONE WAS INVITED!, read the one he made at the finals-and his trademark outlandish statements.
The biggest headlines came when he refused to attend his daughters’ semifinal showdown. “I’m going to a funeral,” he said, “because coming to watch Venus and Serena is a funeral.” He actually spent the match wandering around outside the stadium. Venus shrugged it all off. “Everyone has their own opinion.” she says. Not that Venus is breaking away from the family altogether. While she and Serena (and their three dogs) recently moved into their own house in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., they chose a place just down the road from their parents’ home. Brandi, who stayed in Florida during Wimbledon, says she spoke to her daughters every day on the phone.
The one person Venus clings to is Serena. It was Serena to whom Venus ran after beating Davenport, climbing into the stands and hugging her doubles partner and best friend. “It’s amazing. They love each other so much that they’re almost like husband and wife,” Brandi says. Even after she won the championship, Venus said that beating her sister was the toughest match she played, though she hopes it will be easier now that they’ve both won a major title. “It will become less spectacular,” she says. “Most of all, Serena and I have to promise ourselves to start playing solid tennis every time so we can be 1 and 2, then meet in the finals,” she says. “It will be a natural thing.” Make that supernatural.
