SERENA WILLIAMS wept in her big sister’s arms tonight after racking up an incredible 23rd Grand Slam title.
The finest player of modern times edged ahead of Steffi Graf in the list of all-time greats with a straight sets win over Venus that also took her back to the top of the world rankings.
Now only Aussie legend Margaret Court – in the stands at Rod Laver Arena to see this family affair unfold – has more Majors than her with 24, but 11 of those were racked up before the professional era began in 1969.
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And anyway, on this form and with this continued dominance of the scene, any argument over whose record means more will surely soon become irrelevant.
Venus, at 36 the elder of the pair by just less than a year, gave her lot to try and stay in the hunt as she contested her first big-time final since 2009.
But it always looked too big an ask. And after one hour and 22 minutes of tense, emotional tennis when she was slowly but surely run out of contention for the trophy, she came round the net to hurl a huge hug around her sister’s neck.
SHE’S DONE IT! No. 23@serenawilliams is your #AusOpen 2017 women’s singles champion.
pic.twitter.com/LC6fpWi3Ik
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017
Serena had simply been too good, breaking at crucial points in both sets to win her SEVENTH Aussie singles title 6-4 6-4 and beamed: “Wow – I just kept praying and praying throughout this tournament and now I’m here.
“I want to congratulate Venus. She’s an amazing person and there’s no way I’d be at 23 without her. There’s no way I’d be at one without her. I’d be nothing without her. There would be no Williams Sisters without here.
“Thank you so much, you inspire me. You’ve always inspired me. Every time you win, I think: ‘OK, I need to win too’.
“She’s made an amazing comeback and I think she’ll be standing here next year. She’s been such a great champion. I love her.”
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Seven-times Grand Slam champ Venus then brought the house down when he said: “Serena Williams - that’s my little sister, guys.
“Congratulations on No23. I’ve been right there to see so many of them - I’ve also been there and lost some of them to you, which is weird. All the times I’ve tried to get there and didn’t get there, you were there.
“I am enormously proud of you. You mean the world to me.
“God willing, I would love to come back and try again.”
It’s always a strange vibe when this pair meet, a restrained feel, as if neither quite wants to show how much she wants to win. And early in the first set, it seemed neither DID want to win, with the opening four games all going against serve - Serena racking up THREE double faults in the fourth of them.
Finally, Venus held to lead 3-2, but her sister then put together a run of three on the bounce to give herself the daylight she needed to close it out, a discreet little fist-pump the only betrayal of how she felt.
She repeated the gesture, just as subtly, when she broke to lead 4-3 in the second and leave Venus needed to find a gear that, in all honesty, was never there.
Once that break was in the bag, it was only a matter of time. This latest sister act was all over bar the shouting.
And, of course, the hugging . . .
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