WIMBLEDON, England - Not all that long ago, the run-up to any Grand Slam tournament would be filled with talk about whether Venus and Serena Williams would meet in yet another all-in-the-family final.

It was pretty much a given that at least one Williams, if not both, would be out there on court for the championship match, smacking speedy serves, swatting powerful groundstrokes and racing along the baseline to reach seemingly unreachable balls.