It was impossible to be sure, before this year began, whether the Williams sisters were going through a temporary detour from the top of women's tennis, or whether their joint careers had begun a slow fade.
Nobody doubted their ability. The uncertainty always arose from the nature of their commitment to the sport. Now, with Venus having won her fourth Wimbledon title on Saturday, and with her younger sister Serena becoming the Australian Open champion in January, they seem to have answered the doubters.
"People are always wondering about us. Hopefully they will get the point," said Venus, a couple of hours after her 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli of France.
Andre Agassi, who retired last year, made many career detours before re-emerging and reinventing himself, and securing his place as one of the all-time greats. The Williamses, with 14 majors between them, are already assured of their place in history, yet there has always been the feeling that they might and could have won so much more. Prior to this year it appeared they were merely dabbling in the sport, and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, multi-champions both, spoke harsh words.
It cannot be assumed that they listened. The Williams family have always been a tight clan, and go about their business in their own way, regardless of criticism or advice. In Paris last month Venus's father Richard, not for the first time, had urged her to quit after her defeat by Serbia's Jelena Jankovic; on Saturday he spoke of her as having three more Wimbledon titles in her. "Does that include this one?" Venus inquired with a broad smile. She knows her dad better than anyone, and is adept at swaying with his flow.
The one certainty to have emerged over the last fortnight, as was the case in Melbourne, is that when the sisters put tennis to the forefront they are close to being unbeatable. "We have the game and the physical and mental ability to be the No1 and No2 in the world again," said Venus, seeded No 23 and for whom this was a sixth Grand Slam title. "And I would like to be the No1." This victory dragged her up from No 31 to No 17 in the world, with Serena now at No 7. But these rankings are largely irrelevant. The younger sister was at No 81 when she won in Australia.
Venus, a double gold medal winner at Sydney in 2000, talked about playing in the next two Olympics. Knowing what to believe and what not to believe has always been a perennial problem with the sisters and their father, though in terms of what they have achieved these difficulties are of little consequence.
Great champion
The 27-year-old Venus has proved herself one of the great modern Wimbledon champions. "This is quite obviously a great surface for me," she said. "I feel like I know when to play it high or when to play it low. I know pretty much how the ball's going to bounce.
"This win, it's so much different from the others because the other ones I felt like I was playing in championship form from minute one. Here I really had to focus on my game, overcome a lot of challenges, including obviously being seeded low. But all in all, it's wonderful."
Her boyfriend, the golfer Hank Kuehne, gave an insight into how difficult it has been for her to get back from a nagging wrist injury. "There is no one who works harder than her on and off the court. Most women who get into their late 20s are winding it down. She is going to be around for a while and play at the top level for as long as she wants to."
Venus won back-to-back Wimbledon and US Opens in 2000 and 2001 and if she continues in Saturday's form she will obviously have an excellent chance of doing the double this year. Indeed, given that they both stay fit - and the draw - a seventh all-Williams final is a distinct possibility. "We have respect for all the other players but they will have to be on top of their game to beat us."
Bartoli's arrival in the final was an immense surprise. In 22 previous Grand Slams she had only once reached the last 16, although that was at this year's French Open. Double-fisted on both sides, like Monica Seles, and several pounds overweight by her own admission, she nevertheless covered the lines superbly and frequently engaged Williams in protracted rallies, which takes some doing against the American on grass.
By reaching the final she will rise from No19 to a career-high ranking of No11, and it will be fascinating to see whether this 22-year-old daughter of a doctor, who is now her coach, makes further progress. Walter Bartoli's eyes were filled with tears after the final, and it was a touching moment when Richard Williams turned to console him. The Williamses always surprise.
