Sisters Do a One and Two

For as long as his daughters have been playing tennis, Richard Williams has been saying that they were destined to dominate the sport. Williams pre’s optimism was finally justified when Venus and Serena made it to No. 1 and 2 in the world rankings after contesting the French Open final. Serena’s win and Venus’ runner-up slot gave them the points to head the list. It could be a long time before anyone dislodges them. Since little sister Serena — she is 15 months younger and 12 cm shorter than Venus — won the U.S. Open in 1999, the sibling rivals’ world domination has been gaining pace. One or other has won six of the last 11 Grand Slam titles and two of the last three finals have had a sister on either side of the net. Though they demolish opponents with fearsome regularity, their performances against each other have been inconsistent. Conspiracy theorists have a field day whenever they play each other, speculating that the result has been decided in advance. In their defense, Italian former player Lea Pericoli recently said, “For two friends [to compete] it can be difficult. For two from the same country, very difficult. For sisters, impossible.”

Maybe that is what made the Roland Garros match so error-strewn. The statistics showed just how disappointing the match was. In the 149 points of the match, 115 produced unforced errors, with 13 breaks of serve and 14 double faults. Even the girls’ normally blistering serves slowed down by as much as 30 km/h.

When the sister act reaches Wimbledon later this month, the one-two combination will probably produce another Williams final — but preferably one that will show the sisters at their best.

ATHLETICS
Doping Doubts
Allegations that an American gold medal winner at the 2000 Olympics failed a drugs test a year before emerged during a World Anti-doping Agency summit in Montreal. According to a confidential enquiry chaired by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, the unnamed athlete tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in July 1999. The athlete was given a two-year ban in March 2000, but was exonerated on appeal in time for the U.S. Olympic trials in July. The American governing body USA Track and Field (USATF) refuses to name the offender, one of 17 who failed dope tests in the 18 months leading up to the Sydney Games. USATF policy is to publish names of offenders only if they were found guilty after an appeal. The International Olympic Committee and International Association of Athletic Federations want to follow up the allegations and have threatened sanctions on USATF if they don’t come clean.

GOLF
A Late-Blooming Golden Goosen
Until a year ago, many people might have imagined that the name Retief Goosen was a flower, or maybe a poultry dish. But the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills put the South African golfer’s name at the top of the leader board, and it has resolutely stayed there. Since that victory Goosen has won six more tournaments — and with them over $4 million. He now ranks fourth in the world, and currently tops the European rankings, the Volvo Order of Merit. It was bad luck that slowed his progress — but it also helped him. As an amateur Goosen was considered as good as his countryman Ernie Els. But he was struck by lightning while playing in South Africa, leading to health problems. He turned pro in 1990 but made little impression on the European Tour until he broke his arm skiing in 1999. He used the enforced two-month layoff to consult Belgian sports psychologist Jos Vanstiphout. Since then there has been no looking back. His U.S. Open win was followed by victories in the Scottish and Madrid Opens, and he teamed up with Els to win the EMC2 World Cup in Japan over the U.S. pairing of David Duval and Tiger Woods. Now a venerable 33 years old, Goosen is enjoying his late success — which will ensure his name is not easily forgotten.