© Carl de Souza/AFP Getty
By Kamakshi Tandon

In no other matchup do the players go into a Grand Slam final having to emphasize how much they want to win. But being sisters, colleagues and lifelong best friends, things are a little different for Venus and Serena Williams.

Memories of their last meeting in a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2003 are of an awkward three-set match drained of competitive fire because Venus was carrying an abdominal injury. It was the seventh time in eight Grand Slams that they had faced each other in the final, and on each occasion there had been some speculation about whether they could ever be fully competitive against each other -- or perceived as such by the public.

So as their face-off in this year's final became increasingly inevitable with the upsets of the other top seeds, the sisters were unequivocal about their determination to win at the expense of the other.

"It's every Williams for themselves," said Venus.

"I'm going to sabotage her and eat all the breakfast. I'll eat all the Wheaties so she doesn't have any chance," said Serena.

Venus disagreed strongly with the suggestion that the two have played lackluster finals in the past, and some of their encounters have indeed been competitive.  "I remember the Australian Open final, I really played the best that I could and she was just better," said Venus. " There a series of matches where she was just better than I was at that point on that day... but I think obviously playing here were some great finals. I think some of my best memories are here."

Early in their career, however, the sisters publicly acknowledged their aversion to playing each other and were visibly uncomfortable during their first couple of meetings. A subdued air hung over their subsequent matches, with spectators finding it difficult to form or express strong rooting interests.

But it seems things might have changed. "We're good at this now," said Serena. Their last meeting in the semifinals of Bangalore went down to the wire, with Serena winning in a third set tiebreak.

It may also be easier for those watching. Five years on, the details of previous finals have faded and the sibling rivalry is suddenly new again. After so many years in the spotlight, the sisters have become more established as individual personalities both on and off the court, making it easier for fans to see  them as two separate people rather than one blurred entity. 

Serena is the flamboyant one, embracing Hollywood and the celebrity spotlight. Her photo appears more frequently in the tabloids, these days often with her boyfriend Common, a rapper. The more introspective Venus recently completed a fashion degree and established her own clothing line, and has proven skilful at keeping her private life under wraps. She is currently dating golfer Hank Kuehne.

 "I'm really contained," Venus agreed. "If I'm feeling up or down no one can tell. I can hardly tell. I just stay even-keeled no matter what."

Of course, not everyone can be convinced that this is just another matchup. After being vanquished by Venus in the semifinal on Thursday, Elena Dementieva caused a stir by saying, "I cannot imagine myself playing against someone from my family. It's really hard. For sure it's going to be a family decision."

She later issued a clarifying statement denying the implication that the outcome of the match would be pre-determined: "English is not my first language. I do not think for one second that matches between Serena and Venus are family decisions. What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be playing for a grand slam title."

But doubts remain about what Dementieva truly believes, because she had previously set off a minor storm at Indian Wells in 2001 by saying that the Williamses father and coach Richard Williams would decide the outcome of the sisters' semifinal match. The comment gained added momentum when Venus gave Serena a walkover because of injury, prompting the crowd to boo Serena during the final and ensure the sisters would boycott the tournament from then on.

"I don't know what Richard thinks about it. I think he will decide who's going to win tomorrow," she had said, referencing their match in the 1999 Miami final. "Because I remember when they played in Lipton. If you saw this match, it was so funny."

Regardless, it's fair to say the idea has no currency in tennis circles and there'll be no sense on Saturday that both Williamses will not be trying their hardest. Without the impromptu spur from Dementieva, the topic would likely never have arisen at all.

"I find the question pretty offensive because I'm extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court," said Venus. "I contribute my 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 whole subject.

Recalling the 1999 Miami final against Serena in a general context this week, Venus said, "I definitely wanted to win. I think that my family wanted me to win because I was the older sister. So they thought I should win this title because I was older, and then Serena would have a chance after. Personally that's what I felt. They didn't say anything. There have been other times where I felt like they felt like, Serena hasn't won, so it's her turn to win."

It's not clear where the family sentiment might lie this time, because it's been a lean year for both sisters. Serena won three titles just before the spring, including in Miami, but had not made it past the quarterfinals of any other event until Wimbledon. Venus counts the Bangalore final and three quarterfinals (the Australian Open, Miami and Rome) as her best results of the season. She took more than a month off between April and May for unspecified health reasons. This after both of them unexpectedly won a Slam last year - Serena in Australia and Venus at Wimbledon.

One person who won't be in the box is Richard Williams, having flown back to Florida after saying that watching the match would like watching his daughters "fighting against each other."

His job is done, observed the sisters. Making it this far has ensured that the duo's domination of the event will continue for at least one more year.

Venus has never lost a Wimbledon final to anyone but Serena, and Serena has never won a Wimbledon final over anyone by Venus. Between them, they have ruled the lawns of the All England Club during this decade - Saturday's final will mark the seventh time in nine years that a Williams has been crowned the women's champion. Only Maria Sharapova in 2004 and Amelie Mauresmo in 2006 have broken the streak, and six-time Slam champ Justine Henin admitted shortly after retiring this spring that she never quite felt she was capable of triumphing on the grass.

A title would be a significant milestone in the career of each sister. It would give Venus her seventh Grand Slam and fifth Wimbledon crown, establishing her as one of the grasscourt greats. For Serena, it would mean a ninth Grand Slam title, tying her with Monica Seles. With Venus 28 and Serena 26, their window of opportunity to win more majors could be relatively limited, particularly given their history of injuries.

Each will have to serve well and try to force the issue early in the rally on Saturday, but predicting their form on a given day is a tough task against any player, let alone when they're facing one another. The matchup between two power-hitters has usually produced a contest dominated by errors rather than winners, but the potential for the opposite exists and a competitive encounter could be compelling either way. They did have the opportunity to get a close-up look at each other's game, having played together on Friday to reach the doubles final.

And that victory does offer one slight consolation. Only one can be the singles winner, but they know later that day they'll have a chance to walk off the court as joint champions in the doubles.