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ALTHOUGH THERE are two players ranked ahead of her, Venus Williams is the player all but the tournament seeding committee feels is best equipped to carry off a sixth singles title. Already she stands third in the Open era with five championships and trails only Martina Navratilova with nine and Steffi Graf, who has seven.

This week her sister, Serena, arrived in London and, in a giving moment, declared that Venus was the best grass player of her generation. She should know. Serena is the only other multiple champion in the draw and has won this title twice, beating her sister in both finals.