VENUS WILLIAMS has lashed out at cynics who claimed tomorrow's women's singles final with sister Serena will be decided before a ball has been struck.
The pair will clash for the third time in an All England Club final after both progressed through their last four encounters in straight sets yesterday.
But reigning champion Venus reacted furiously to suggestions the game might not be a true comp
etition.
"The main thing is that I find the question pretty offensive because I'm extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court," she said.
"I contribute the best in my sport and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family. So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family.
"That's pretty much how I feel about the subject. We need to move on from this subject because it's ridiculous."
Venus reached her seventh Wimbledon final in fine style, sweeping aside Russia's Elena Dementieva 6-1, 7-6. Dementieva may have been seeded higher but her opponent's ease and confidence on the big centre court stage proved decisive.
Previous all-Williams finals have not lived up to expectations. It will be seventh time the pair have meet in a Grand Slam final, and Serena has won five of the previous encounters, two of them at Wimbledon.
"I think we would see a better game if one sister has to face someone else," said Dementieva. "It's a very tough situation.
"I think they are very close and very supportive of each other, which is very good.
"They are very professional but, in the end, family is more important to them, everyone knows what a great relationship they have."
Venus looked more convincing in her semi-final win but Serena was made to work for her progress against unseeded wildcard Jie Zheng, he first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. Zheng had beaten top seed Ana Ivanovic and she fought hard to claim another prized scalp in a match pitted with rain delays.
"She definitely pushed me very hard," said Williams, following her 6-2, 7-6 victory. "She played a great game and she played like she had nothing to lose and it's always fun to play an opponent like that.
"I didn't want to go three sets. I just wanted to close it out and hit some big serves."
Serena has not played a Grand Slam final since last year's Australian Open but shades the statistics in battles with her older sister, winning eight of their 15 matches. "I'm just happy to be back in a Grand Slam final but I want to do more than make the final," she added. "Venus is a tough opponent, probably the toughest I've played."
The pair were playing in today's doubles semi-final before heading back to the rented apartment they have been sharing.
• NATIONAL School Sport Week is a government initiative managed by the Youth Sport Trust and supported by Norwich Union with the aim to engage over three million children in sport, which started on June 30.
The full article contains 531 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
