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I'll be ready for Venus next time: Serena

LONDON
Sat Jul 5, 2008 2:45pm EDT
Serena Williams reaches for the ball during her finals match against her sister Venus at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London July 5, 2008. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

LONDON (Reuters) - Runner-up Serena Williams said she hoped to meet sister Venus in other major finals and vowed that next time she would be more ready for the barrage of serves into the body that she faced in Saturday's Wimbledon showpiece.

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The pair played each other for a third time in a final at the All England Club, with Venus winning 7-5 6-4 to collect her fifth Venus Rosewater Dish.

It was the seventh time they had clashed in a grand slam final and Serena, 15 months younger than her 28-year-old sister, said it was unlikely to be the last.

"If we stay on the opposite side of the draw it probably will be a likelihood. We're always trying to get to the finals and do better than that," she told a news conference.

She said Venus's tactic had been to serve into her body, which she thought she had coped with well but would be even better prepared for next time they met.

"I'm glad she did it because next time I know what to expect. I think I did good with getting them back," said Serena, who had won their previous two Wimbledon final encounters.

She said she was unhappy with her performance and that she had struggled in the blustery conditions.

"I don't think I played well. For me there's nothing to be satisfied about," she said.

"I know she was under the same conditions, too, but, you know, it was just really, really tough. She started just playing, she lifted the level of her game and I should have lifted mine but instead I think mine went down."

She admitted she was happy for her sister but that it was no easier losing to a family member than anyone else.

"I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day," she said.

(Editing by Clare Lovell)



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