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TENNISFAMILY AFFAIR
Venus and Serena Williams Friday July 4,2008 By Nigel ClarkeWimbledon champion Venus Williams angrily denied last night her final against sister Serena tomorrow will be fixed. Russian Elena Dementieva made the claim after losing her semi-final to Venus 6-1, 7-6. She said: “Because they practise all the time they know their game very well and it’s easy for them to make an interesting and close match.
“If they are going to play against each other – I cannot imagine myself facing someone from my own family.
“For sure it’s going to be a family decision. We are probably going to see a tiebreak in the third, or a very close match, so maybe there is not so much of a fight in it.
“We would see a better game if one of the sisters had to face somebody else. They are very close and supportive of each other but in the end the family is more important to them and they keep a nice relationship. I just don’t know how it’s going to be because I have never faced that situation in my life. Maybe it will be that the best player wins.”
The Women’s Tour were horrified and persuaded Dementieva to issue a softer version later but the damage was done. And when asked about the comments, Williams said: “I find the question of a family decision pretty offensive. I’m extremely professional in everything I do on and off court. I contribute my best in my sport and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family.
“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. For Serena and I our main focus is getting to the final. Then from there on it’s every Williams for themselves. I’ve never felt sad about beating Serena, not even when I was younger. I respect her as a player more than anyone on the Tour. That’s the only factor that goes into it.”
Dementieva has alluded to alleged collusion before. In 2002 and 2003 when Venus and Serena met each other in the final there were suggestions neither played their best and there was a family discussion over the match. Later, Dementieva tried to climb down, saying: “English is not my first language and I apologise for not speaking it better. I do not think matches between Venus and Serena are a family decision. It is a unique situation for a family to be playing for a Grand Slam title. I cannot imagine what it must be like.
“I expect a very tough match as they are two of the biggest fighters in the game.” 
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