Venus Williams' three-set victory Saturday over sister Serena Williams at the Rogers Cup in Montreal said a lot about the state of both sisters' games.
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But of course, Serena then stole the spotlight when she commented as if she was looking past the U.S. Open later this month.
"I'm not even thinking of it anymore," 32-year-old and top-ranked Serena said, according to The Globe and Mail. "I haven't even been able to get to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam this year. At this point, really just looking forward to next year, to be honest."
She quickly backtracked, realizing the potential controversy of her comments.
"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill," Serena said. "I'm just saying I've had a really disappointing year, especially in the Grand Slams, for me. So I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I almost feel like the pressure is lifted because I haven't performed the way I've wanted to personally. Maybe for other people, but for me it's not the way I've wanted to perform," she said. "In a way, I don't feel like, you know, a ton of pressure going into the Open. I almost feel like it's lifted. I look forward to next year because I don't have any (ranking) points to defend at any of the Slams."
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Still, the change in approach speaks to the confidence, or lack thereof, that the younger Williams has in her game. Her loss to Venus marked the first defeat in six matches against her older sister.
And the fact that no one mentioned anything about match-fixing speaks about the crumbling aura of invincibility Serena faces.
The 34-year-old Venus, meanwhile, still shows signs that she is able to play at a top level, thanks to a new diet she discovered in her battle with Sjogren's syndrome - an auto-immune disease that affects Venus' energy level - that was discovered in 2011.
She won her first tournament in two years back in February and now is in her second final of the year - she didn't reach a final in all of 2013 - where she will face Agnieszka Radwanska.
"I just feel better," Venus said, according the Globe and Mail. "I have a regimen that I keep. I never get into details. One of these days when I'm gone I'll talk about it a little more. At this point I have to remain competitive, so it's important for me to just, you know, get out there and not complain. If I don't win, I don't win. I go out and try to figure out how I can do it. That's pretty much what I've done. If I haven't won for whatever reason, I go back to that drawing board and try to figure it out. I think my recent success has been a result of that."
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