Venus Williams， 20， was beating up on1 her little sister， which is what big sisters do. But Venus is， it should be noted， a sweeter 2 big sister than most. As she administered the thrashing3 in broadly public view at Wimbledon4， she was hardly merciless5. She sat on her chair during changeovers and worried， " Does Serena have enough sports drink？"
Guess not. Serena， 18， sagged6 in the second-set tie-breaker7 and closed with a double fault. Final score：6-2， 7-6（3）， in a fraught8 semifinal match marked by mediocre9 tennis， great theater10 and almost unbearable intensity. " It's really bitter，" said Venus in the aftermath. " But someone had to move on." She did and， in the final， beat another big-hitting Californian， defending champ Lindsay Davenport， 6-3， 7-6（3）。 And so now we know. Every important men's golf tournament for a while will be won by a guy named Woods， and every important women's tennis tournament will go to a gal11 named Williams. " The future is now，" former player-turned-pundit12 Pam Shriver says. " They could be on top for 10 years."
What both sisters possess to a degree unapproachable by their colleagues is immense power and glorious13 athleticism. Davenport and Mary Pierce hit the ball hard but can't move like the Williamses. Martina Hingis hits the ball well but， despite a better effort in the gym， can't match punch14 for punch. Only yesterday it looked as if Hingis could be the next Steffi Graf， but she has been knocked out15 of the past four Grand Slam events by S. Williams， Davenport， Pierce and V.Williams. That averages out to an Amazon of 6 ft.， 158 lbs.16， with the capacity to hit a serve， as Venus did against Serena， of 121 m.p.h. To any little girls inspired to take up the game by Venus' win： forget it. In the new millennium， big girls only need apply.
There's another advantage for the Williamses. Tennis is an individual game， and they come as a team. As Hingis lamented17， she often gets softened up18 by one， finished off by the other. Furthermore， each Williams sister derives an inner strength from being a Williams sister. " Family， religion， education and tennis are the four spokes of this family，" says Shriver， who has been Venus' mentor for three years. " Sometimes tennis is fourth on the totem pole19， other times tennis moves up—— but I think it's in that order."
網(wǎng)壇姊妹花
當(dāng)姐姐的都這樣，20歲的維納斯·威廉姆斯正狠狠教訓(xùn)著妹妹。但應(yīng)該指出的是，維納斯可比大多數(shù)姐姐更細(xì)心體貼。當(dāng)她在眾目睽睽的溫布爾登賽場(chǎng)上操縱著一局大拼殺的時(shí)候，也非完全鐵石心腸。交換場(chǎng)地的間隙，她坐在椅子上，心里擔(dān)憂著："塞雷娜喝足了運(yùn)動(dòng)飲料嗎？"
大概沒(méi)有。18歲的塞雷娜在第二盤(pán)的決勝局中士氣低沉，終因發(fā)球雙誤敗北。這場(chǎng)選手發(fā)揮平平、觀眾熱情萬(wàn)丈、搏殺異常激烈、令人擔(dān)憂的半決賽，最終比分為：6-2，7-6（3）。"的確非常艱苦，"維納斯賽后說(shuō)。"但必須有人繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。"她就這樣做了，在決賽中以6-3，7-6（3）力挫另一名力量型的加利福尼亞選手、衛(wèi)冕冠軍林德塞·達(dá)文波特。現(xiàn)在我們知道了。一段時(shí)間內(nèi)，一個(gè)名叫伍茲的家伙包攬了每項(xiàng)重要的男子高爾夫錦標(biāo)賽的冠軍，而每項(xiàng)重要的女子網(wǎng)球錦標(biāo)賽的獎(jiǎng)牌都要落入一位姓威廉姆斯的女孩之手。"未來(lái)就是現(xiàn)在的情景，"前選手出身的網(wǎng)壇權(quán)威帕姆·施賴弗說(shuō)。"她們可以稱霸十年。"
這對(duì)姊妹擁有令其他選手都難以望其項(xiàng)背的巨大力量和對(duì)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)的極度熱愛(ài)。達(dá)文波特和瑪麗·皮爾斯雖然擊球兇猛，但移動(dòng)速度卻不敵威廉姆斯姊妹。馬蒂娜·辛吉斯擊球準(zhǔn)確，但盡管在賽場(chǎng)上竭盡全力，仍招架不住拍拍重扣。僅在昨天，辛吉斯還仿佛要成為史蒂夫·格拉芙第二，但卻已在過(guò)去的四項(xiàng)大滿貫賽事中被塞雷娜·威廉姆斯、達(dá)文波特、皮爾斯和維納斯·威廉姆斯逐一淘汰出局。這一切使女子網(wǎng)壇高手需達(dá)到這樣的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：平均身高6英尺，體重158磅，發(fā)球速度 121英里/小時(shí)，如維納斯對(duì)塞雷娜一役中那樣。奉勸任何受維納斯勝利鼓舞而決心投身這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的纖弱女孩兒：請(qǐng)另謀高就。在新千年中，只有身強(qiáng)體壯的女孩兒才可去試一試。
威廉姆斯姊妹還占有另一大優(yōu)勢(shì)。網(wǎng)球是一項(xiàng)個(gè)人運(yùn)動(dòng)，但她倆卻結(jié)伴而來(lái)。辛吉斯痛心地說(shuō)，她經(jīng)常被一個(gè)搞得筋疲力盡，又被另一個(gè)徹底打垮。此外，姊妹倆各自從威廉姆斯家汲取了內(nèi)在的力量。"家庭、宗教、教育和網(wǎng)球是這個(gè)家庭的四大支柱，"已經(jīng)做了維納斯三年指導(dǎo)的施賴弗說(shuō)。"網(wǎng)球按等級(jí)排列有時(shí)第四，有時(shí)會(huì)上升，但我想順序大抵如此。"
注釋：
1.beat upon[俚]痛打，揍
2.sweet adj.和藹的，溫柔的，溫和的
3.thrashing n.痛擊，重創(chuàng)
4.Wimbledon 溫布爾登[英國(guó)英格蘭東南部城市]（位于倫敦附近，是的國(guó)際網(wǎng)球比賽地）
5.merciless adj.不寬容的
6.sag vi.消沉，委靡，消衰
7.tie-breaker n.[體]決勝局
8.fraught adj.[口]憂慮的，憂傷的
9.mediocre adj.中等的，普通的
10.theater n.=theatre全場(chǎng)觀眾
11.gal n.[口]=girl
12.player-turned-pundit n.選手出身的權(quán)威
13.glorious adj.值得稱道的，極度的
14.punch n.一拳，一擊
15.knock out（尤指在淘汰賽中）淘汰
16.lbs. abbr.[拉]librae（=pounds）
17.lament vt.悲嘆，悔恨
18.soften up削弱（力量）
19.totem pole等級(jí)（制）
Guess not. Serena， 18， sagged6 in the second-set tie-breaker7 and closed with a double fault. Final score：6-2， 7-6（3）， in a fraught8 semifinal match marked by mediocre9 tennis， great theater10 and almost unbearable intensity. " It's really bitter，" said Venus in the aftermath. " But someone had to move on." She did and， in the final， beat another big-hitting Californian， defending champ Lindsay Davenport， 6-3， 7-6（3）。 And so now we know. Every important men's golf tournament for a while will be won by a guy named Woods， and every important women's tennis tournament will go to a gal11 named Williams. " The future is now，" former player-turned-pundit12 Pam Shriver says. " They could be on top for 10 years."
What both sisters possess to a degree unapproachable by their colleagues is immense power and glorious13 athleticism. Davenport and Mary Pierce hit the ball hard but can't move like the Williamses. Martina Hingis hits the ball well but， despite a better effort in the gym， can't match punch14 for punch. Only yesterday it looked as if Hingis could be the next Steffi Graf， but she has been knocked out15 of the past four Grand Slam events by S. Williams， Davenport， Pierce and V.Williams. That averages out to an Amazon of 6 ft.， 158 lbs.16， with the capacity to hit a serve， as Venus did against Serena， of 121 m.p.h. To any little girls inspired to take up the game by Venus' win： forget it. In the new millennium， big girls only need apply.
There's another advantage for the Williamses. Tennis is an individual game， and they come as a team. As Hingis lamented17， she often gets softened up18 by one， finished off by the other. Furthermore， each Williams sister derives an inner strength from being a Williams sister. " Family， religion， education and tennis are the four spokes of this family，" says Shriver， who has been Venus' mentor for three years. " Sometimes tennis is fourth on the totem pole19， other times tennis moves up—— but I think it's in that order."
網(wǎng)壇姊妹花
當(dāng)姐姐的都這樣，20歲的維納斯·威廉姆斯正狠狠教訓(xùn)著妹妹。但應(yīng)該指出的是，維納斯可比大多數(shù)姐姐更細(xì)心體貼。當(dāng)她在眾目睽睽的溫布爾登賽場(chǎng)上操縱著一局大拼殺的時(shí)候，也非完全鐵石心腸。交換場(chǎng)地的間隙，她坐在椅子上，心里擔(dān)憂著："塞雷娜喝足了運(yùn)動(dòng)飲料嗎？"
大概沒(méi)有。18歲的塞雷娜在第二盤(pán)的決勝局中士氣低沉，終因發(fā)球雙誤敗北。這場(chǎng)選手發(fā)揮平平、觀眾熱情萬(wàn)丈、搏殺異常激烈、令人擔(dān)憂的半決賽，最終比分為：6-2，7-6（3）。"的確非常艱苦，"維納斯賽后說(shuō)。"但必須有人繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。"她就這樣做了，在決賽中以6-3，7-6（3）力挫另一名力量型的加利福尼亞選手、衛(wèi)冕冠軍林德塞·達(dá)文波特。現(xiàn)在我們知道了。一段時(shí)間內(nèi)，一個(gè)名叫伍茲的家伙包攬了每項(xiàng)重要的男子高爾夫錦標(biāo)賽的冠軍，而每項(xiàng)重要的女子網(wǎng)球錦標(biāo)賽的獎(jiǎng)牌都要落入一位姓威廉姆斯的女孩之手。"未來(lái)就是現(xiàn)在的情景，"前選手出身的網(wǎng)壇權(quán)威帕姆·施賴弗說(shuō)。"她們可以稱霸十年。"
這對(duì)姊妹擁有令其他選手都難以望其項(xiàng)背的巨大力量和對(duì)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)的極度熱愛(ài)。達(dá)文波特和瑪麗·皮爾斯雖然擊球兇猛，但移動(dòng)速度卻不敵威廉姆斯姊妹。馬蒂娜·辛吉斯擊球準(zhǔn)確，但盡管在賽場(chǎng)上竭盡全力，仍招架不住拍拍重扣。僅在昨天，辛吉斯還仿佛要成為史蒂夫·格拉芙第二，但卻已在過(guò)去的四項(xiàng)大滿貫賽事中被塞雷娜·威廉姆斯、達(dá)文波特、皮爾斯和維納斯·威廉姆斯逐一淘汰出局。這一切使女子網(wǎng)壇高手需達(dá)到這樣的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：平均身高6英尺，體重158磅，發(fā)球速度 121英里/小時(shí)，如維納斯對(duì)塞雷娜一役中那樣。奉勸任何受維納斯勝利鼓舞而決心投身這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的纖弱女孩兒：請(qǐng)另謀高就。在新千年中，只有身強(qiáng)體壯的女孩兒才可去試一試。
威廉姆斯姊妹還占有另一大優(yōu)勢(shì)。網(wǎng)球是一項(xiàng)個(gè)人運(yùn)動(dòng)，但她倆卻結(jié)伴而來(lái)。辛吉斯痛心地說(shuō)，她經(jīng)常被一個(gè)搞得筋疲力盡，又被另一個(gè)徹底打垮。此外，姊妹倆各自從威廉姆斯家汲取了內(nèi)在的力量。"家庭、宗教、教育和網(wǎng)球是這個(gè)家庭的四大支柱，"已經(jīng)做了維納斯三年指導(dǎo)的施賴弗說(shuō)。"網(wǎng)球按等級(jí)排列有時(shí)第四，有時(shí)會(huì)上升，但我想順序大抵如此。"
注釋：
1.beat upon[俚]痛打，揍
2.sweet adj.和藹的，溫柔的，溫和的
3.thrashing n.痛擊，重創(chuàng)
4.Wimbledon 溫布爾登[英國(guó)英格蘭東南部城市]（位于倫敦附近，是的國(guó)際網(wǎng)球比賽地）
5.merciless adj.不寬容的
6.sag vi.消沉，委靡，消衰
7.tie-breaker n.[體]決勝局
8.fraught adj.[口]憂慮的，憂傷的
9.mediocre adj.中等的，普通的
10.theater n.=theatre全場(chǎng)觀眾
11.gal n.[口]=girl
12.player-turned-pundit n.選手出身的權(quán)威
13.glorious adj.值得稱道的，極度的
14.punch n.一拳，一擊
15.knock out（尤指在淘汰賽中）淘汰
16.lbs. abbr.[拉]librae（=pounds）
17.lament vt.悲嘆，悔恨
18.soften up削弱（力量）
19.totem pole等級(jí)（制）