Williams double act shows no sign of slowing down

London: Venus Williams, a keen historian of tennis, would have noted that no woman over 30 has won a grand slam trophy in two decades.

Such a statistic is unlikely to strike fear into the statuesque American, who celebrates the milestone birthday this week. Thirteen years after announcing her arrival at Wimbledon as a giggling teenager with a headful of colourful beads, Williams will be in hot pursuit of a sixth Wimbledon crown as she aims to become the first 30-something to win the grasscourt major since Martina Navratilova triumphed in 1990. The list of those capable of tripping her up is a short one, with sister, title holder and world number one Serena being her primary foe. The American siblings have grabbed the silverware at the All England Club in eight of the past 10 years and remain the ones to beat. Between them, they have banked almost $60 million in prize money and won 19 major singles titles, have both topped the world rankings and have seen many of their rivals come and go.Their appetite for success remains insatiable. "I would like to defend the title if I can; that would be exciting," Serena, who lost the 2008 final to Venus before gaining revenge last year, said with typical understatement. Serena, 28, thrives on intimidating all those before her with her raw power and win-at-all-costs attitude while Venus can flatten anyone on the slick grass with her long limbs, described as a "the wingspan of a 747" by Navratilova.Such is the state of women`s tennis that those immediately behind the Americans in the seedings, Denmark`s Caroline Wozniacki, former world number one Jelena Jankovic and surprise French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, are unlikely to cause much of a stir. Bureau Report