Serena Williams Wins 5th Wimbledon Title

England - Eighteen years had passed. Amazingly, the faces had not changed. The orchestrator, Richard Williams, was there with his trusty camera. Venus Williams alternated smiles and tears, covering her face with her hands. Sister Isha was right up front with the mom, Oracene. And there was Serena, leaping into a box full of these familiar faces, celebrating a Wimbledon victory that defined this family for all time.

Watching Serena's 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska unfold on Centre Court, and especially the aftermath, I found myself transported back to a Halloween night in the Oakland Coliseum Arena, 1994. It was Venus' debut as a 14-year-old professional. The crowd was sparse, a mere trifle compared with the Rolling Stones' concert taking place next door. The echoes of a well-struck tennis ball competed with the thumping reverberations of bass-line rock and roll.

Venus was gangly, upbeat and ready as all hell. She was facing the 59th-ranked player in the world, Shaun Stafford, but she savored the prospect. This was winning time, Day 1. "I'm just here to have fun," she said after defeating Stafford in straight sets. "But I wasn't surprised. I know I can play."

It seemed that half of the people in attendance that night were tennis writers, come from far and wide. Some of us sat down with Richard to hear the back story. He was intensely skeptical about Venus turning pro so young, saying he'd advised her against it, but that it seemed to be working out OK. "And she's got a younger sister, Serena," he said, "that's gonna be even better."

Eighteen years ago. Serena had just turned 13. So, Richard, you're saying you've got two girls who could change the face of women's tennis?

That's what came to mind Saturday at Wimbledon. As the traditional pomp and circumstance transpired on Centre Court, with the marching ball kids and the stuffy officials in crisp blue blazers and the ever-reliable Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, it was all about Serena Williams' private box. On a women's tour characterized by falsehoods and the vague, this was a day that brought clarity.

There's a certain charm to the unpredictability of it all, but this sport needs a strong, viable champion. It hasn't been Samantha Stosur, who won last year's U.S. Open but reverted to head-case tennis. It wasn't Li Na, who has struggled under the weight of her French Open title. Petra Kvitova's 2011 Wimbledon championship seems a bit of a mirage. Victoria Azarenka somehow has reclaimed the No. 1 ranking, and that crown on her head feels more like a refrigerator.

There's something concrete and authentic about a Williams triumph, anywhere, but especially at Wimbledon. Serena and Venus have five singles titles apiece - that's 10 of the past 13 years. This was the 14th major title for Serena, two more than Billie Jean King and not so distantly removed from the 18 shared by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (the all-time leaders are Margaret Court, with 24, Steffi Graf, with 22. In an earlier era, Helen Wills Moody won 19).

"I've seen 'em all," said John McEnroe after working the final for BBC television, "and I believe that Serena is the greatest female that's ever played. It's not just the wins, it's the fact that she had an older sister doing so many big things in tennis, and Serena comes in to steal her thunder.

"The grace and support Venus has given Serena is unbelievable. And so genuine. Just think what these two had to go through when they played each other. How in the world do you do that?"

Serena says she has gained immeasurable strength from Venus' bold fight against Sjögren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that leaves her intermittently fatigued. Without a word of complaint, at a time when she could ease comfortably into retirement, Venus soldiers on toward the Olympics (in London later this month) and perhaps more major tournaments.