Williams versus Williams – but do you back Venus or Serena?
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They are already firmly stamped in the echelons of tennis greatness, but this weekend Venus and Serena Williams will confirm yet again that they are rightly regarded as behemoths of their chosen sport.
Where do you begin? Venus first appeared in a Slam final in 1997, almost 20 years ago, while Serena also made her mark in the 20th century, reaching the 1999 US Open finale.
The siblings first met in a Slam final way back in 2001, and they followed that by contesting seven more showpieces.
It all peaked between 2001 and 2003, where from six successive Slams, we saw five all-Williams finals.
The last clash came at Wimbledon in 2009, and since then the pair have faced plenty of battles off the court.
Venus has fought her way back up the rankings after being diagnosed with a potentially career-ending autoimmunity disease, while Serena missed three straight Slams through 2010-11 due to injury and complications after stepping on broken glass in a restaurant.
And yet here we are, in 2017, 15 and-a-half years after their first Slam meeting.
When the American duo head into Rod Laver Arena, they’ll share a combined age of 71.
Venus is 37 this June, with Serena turning 36 in September, and one can only wonder how their opponents must feel.
We make the younger Williams favourite at 1/5 to claim a record-breaking 23rd Open-era singles Slam, while Venus is 7/2 to win her first Australian Open and first Slam success since Wimbledon in 2008.
Serena has already spoken of how this match is a ‘win-win’ having seen her sister fight back from Sjogrens Syndrome.
And arguably this final is about so much more than the individual trophy on offer. This is perhaps the final and most resounding seal of confirmation that Venus and Serena Williams are two of the greatest people to have ever picked up a tennis racquet.
And this is sure to be an emotional final, for even in defeat, there will be joy.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
