Even President Clinton has no answer for Venus

Venus Williams, looking more like a movie star at a film premiere than an athlete who had just completed one of the biggest wins of her life, waited for the president to call.

"Maybe he's having a pizza," she said, peeling off the tight, protective strappings around both wrists, the last vestiges of her 6-4 7-5 US Open women's final victory over fellow American Lindsay Davenport.

Venus shook a packet of cookies, but decided against taking one. She smiled, her earrings and necklace glinting in the studio lights, just as they had under the floodlights of the Arthur Ashe stadium in Saturday's rain-delayed final. Glamour and athleticism. And Davenport, just as in this year's Wimbledon final, had not been able to match either.

Bill Clinton, who watched Pete Sampras' semi-final defeat of Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, the first sitting president (if only just) to attend the US Open, finally came on the line.

"Why didn't you stay?" asked Venus, as unfazed chatting to Clinton as she had been by Davenport racing to a 4-1 first-set lead. "I had to get back to have dinner with Hillary," he replied, a touch defensively. Clinton then found himself being gently chastised about the state of the roads in Manhattan during last week's United Nations conference and the amount of taxes Venus had to pay.

He mumbled something about how he would like to see sportsmen and women pay special taxes. "Should I read your lips?" Venus replied.

The super-confidence of the Williams sisters unnerved many, not least their fellow players, when they first entered the professional circuit. They had not taken the traditional path into the pro game, eschewing the junior tennis and any national coaching from the US Tennis Association. Yet in the space of three years Venus (20) and her younger sister Serena (18), who won this title last year, have imposed themselves on women's tennis to the point of domination.

Only Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Germany's Steffi Graf, now retired, have ever beaten both the sisters in the same tournament, and nobody has managed it at grand-slam level.

For the time being, though, Switzerland's Martina Hingis, without a slam title in the last seven majors, and Davenport, remain world number one and two respectively, both having played more tennis over the past year than both the Williams sisters, who have suffered various injuries.

But by winning the Wimbledon and US Open titles back to back, incorporating a 26-match winning streak, Venus, officially the number three, has established herself as the leading player in all but name, and it cannot be long before Serena, currently number five, joins her at the very top.

Their father, Richard, predicted it, and it is fast coming to pass. "We've changed tennis to the extent that everyone is having to play at a higher level. Lindsay has definitely raised her game," he said.

Davenport, who had defeated Serena 6-4 6-2 in the quarterfinals, hits as cleanly and powerfully as any women on the circuit and for five games dominated Venus. But then the pressure told and her first serve, which she knew had to be continuously deep, fragmented.

What singles Venus out is her ability to retrieve while at the same time hitting the ball back hard. Defence becomes attack.

Both Hingis, who came precious close to defeating her in a brilliant semi-final, and Davenport produced strokes that would have been winners against almost any other opponent. But the ball kept coming back, with interest.

Afterwards Davenport admitted Venus has become increasingly difficult to play. "I thought I was doing everything pretty well," she said. "But I didn't serve the way I wanted to. I felt a lot of pressure on my serve and it started affecting my ground strokes.

"The problem is you never know quite what to do when you play her." Or what to expect of Venus. "Come to the White House," said Clinton, an invitation many would kill for. "I'll do my best," she replied.