< Wimbledon: Serena Wins; Roddick, Federer On Deck

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Heard on All Things Considered

July 4, 2009 - GUY RAZ, host:

Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

Nine times in the last 10 years there's been a Williams sister in the Wimbledon final. And this year, Venus and Serena once again fended off the rest of the field to face each other. But only one could prevail.

(Soundbite of tennis match)

Unidentified Man: And then it's hers.

(Soundbite of cheering)

RAZ: Serena Williams claimed her third Wimbledon championship. All three have come against her older sister.

Jon Wertheim was there covering the match for Sports Illustrated and he's on the line with us.

Hi, Jon.

Mr. JON WERTHEIM (Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated): Hi, there.

RAZ: Now, Jon, in the first set, these two women were pretty evenly matched. But then Serena really pulled away during the tiebreak. Venus fought back three championship points before she finally succumbed. She didn't go quietly.

Mr. WERTHEIM: No, she put up a good fight there in the end, but Serena was really on her game. And it seemed like Venus was a little awkward off the ground.

RAZ: And Venus had a brace on her knee. Why was that?

Mr. WERTHEIM: Yeah. I mean, she said it was protective, but she also - it was clear she wasn't a hundred percent in terms of mobility and especially on grass. That makes a big difference.

RAZ: Now, they've played each other so many times now. Has their attitude towards playing one another changed over the years? I mean, do they attack each other more now, for example?

Mr. WERTHEIM: The tension between them, it's so strange. Their father and coach, Richard Williams, actually said he was going back to the United States. He always mows the yard when they play. And I figured they played so often, his yard must look like the Wimbledon court.

(Soundbite of laughter)

But I think everybody - from the fans, to their parents, to themselves - it's all gotten a little more familiar. But it's such a strange dynamic. He just don't have the tension that you have with other players.

RAZ: Isn't it disappointing in a sort of strange way when these two women make the finals, I mean, for sort of organizers and sponsors?

Mr. WERTHEIM: No. I think that what you lack in tension, you make up for storyline. I mean, this is Tiger Woods having a brother, who's every bit as good a golfer. I mean, it's a remarkable story. So while the Williams-Williams match has tend to lack tension, I think, you know, in the long run, it's good for the sport, good for the sponsors, because it's just such a remarkable story.

RAZ: And we should also point out that Venus and Serena are doubles partners, too, and they've to play as a team for the doubles championship tomorrow. Have the same two people who played each other, you know, for the championship, ever partnered up for the doubles title before?

Mr. WERTHEIM: Not in this era and certainly not as siblings. In a way, it's nice because, you know, we'll see what happens. But odds are pretty good that they'll win the title and Venus will get to leave with the trophy.

RAZ: Now, Jon, tomorrow, Roger Federer goes for his 15th grand slam title, which would be the most in men's tennis history. A lot of people rode him off as all washed up just a year ago. What's he been doing since then to regain his status?

Mr. WERTHEIM: Well, he - you know, the good fortune of not having to face Rafael Nadal, his nemesis, you know, the French Open, which Federer won last month, and Rafael Nadal not here, the number one player, the guy who beat Federer at Wimbledon in 2008. So he's had some good fortune. But also, you know, I think it's somewhat - well, this is the sport that these careers are not perfect straight lines, they're not necessarily linier. And Federer had a bit of a rough patch, and now, he seems to be the Roger Federer evolved.

RAZ: And standing in Roger Federer's way, of course, is the American Andy Roddick. He has the world record, a hundred and fifty five mile-an-hour serve. What does Andy Roddick have to do to pull off an upset here?

Mr. WERTHEIM: Well, essentially, he's got to play the perfect match. And he came close to doing it yesterday, when he beat Andy Murray, you know, the Scottish player who's - they're sort of counting him as British. So this was the great hope to homegrown champion in the Andy Roddick (unintelligible). He played a terrific match to beat Murray. If he can sustain that level against Federer, he's got a real chance. If he can't, I think Federer's looking at title number 15.

RAZ: And Andy Roddick has only won one single grand slam title, the U.S. Open in 2003. But I understand he's been working on his conditioning quite a bit recently.

Mr. WERTHEIM: Yeah. And his conditioning and also his variety - he's sort of like the baseball pitcher who had a great fastball, and now, maybe the fastball slowed a bit but he's added some more variety of pitches. And, you know, Andy Roddick is a fine player. He just had the misfortune of coming along the same time as Roger Federer.

RAZ: Jon Wertheim writes about tennis for Sports Illustrated. His new book is all about last year's epic men's final at Wimbledon. It's called "Strokes of Genius."

Jon Wertheim, thanks.

Mr. WERTHEIM: Thanks, Guy.

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