Sisters usher out the old

Doubles on outside courts don't normally figure very highly when Wimbledon moves into the quarter-final stages of the championship, except when the disciples of irreverence are involved.

Ahead of today's Centre Court semi-final between the sisters, Venus and Serena Williams faced up to Martina Navratilova and Mariaan de Swardt yesterday. Navratilova (43), who recently came out of retirement and began playing competitively for the first time in four years, shipped a ball on the shoulder from Serena and another on the head from Venus. Quite an introduction for the former Queen of the Centre Court.

"I think she (Martina) turned her back on it a little bit, that was all," said Venus. Otherwise she would have got it back." "Probably hit a winner," added Serena.

Navratilova in her prime was the favourite player of Serena when she was growing up. She said so. But what was it she admired so much ?

"Oh, I don't know. She was a serve and volleyer. I guess I must have liked her. Look at me, I'm not serving and volleying. I don't know," she said.

The Williams sisters lost the first set 4-6 before coming back into the game to claim the next two sets 6-2, 6-1, and the match.

"I would have liked to have been out there for a little bit longer. It was a blast, a total blast," said Navratilova. "I've enjoyed it even more than I thought I would."

Unable to commit herself to playing again either at the US Open or next year on the grass, Navratilova suggested that the younger of the two sisters has the better game this year. But would either of them have beaten the 19-times Wimbledon champion (singles and doubles) in her prime ?

"At my prime, I would have beaten them the way they are playing right now. They haven't reached their prime. They still miss too much - you know they need to just harness it a little bit."

Some chance.