Serena and Venus Williams win gold medal in women’s doubles

LONDON -- Put sisters Venus and Serena Williams on the same side of the court and they simply do not lose when it comes to the Olympics.

They won gold in Sydney, and in Beijing. They made it a tidy three-peat Sunday at the All England Club, beating Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova, 6-4, 6-4, in the women’s gold-medal match.

That’s two gold medals in two days for Serena Williams, who won Wimbledon last month. She dropped one game to Maria Sharapova of Russia in the singles final on a windswept Saturday afternoon.

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This was more competitive, obviously, and played under the roof because of inclement conditions. But the outcome never seriously seemed in doubt and the sisters did not lose a set in the doubles event.

“For me, it was amazing to watch Serena from the stands and see her complete the golden slam. So it’s been amazing for us,” Venus said. “We’ve been winning this title since 2000, but it’s easier said than done. We come in as the favorites. But it’s not a given. We fought hard. Our opponents played well. They’re very talented.

“We’re glad to keep the medal for us. It was great.”

She said forging ahead to the Olympics in 2016 was a realistic possibility.

“With the doubles partner I have, absolutely,” Venus said. “But that’s what we want. I think nowadays tennis players are seeing that you can play great tennis into your 30s. I think a lot of people were brainwashed early that you had to quit. It’s really not the way it is.

“By the time you get to this age, you really understand the game, the nuances, you’re just getting better. As long as you can stay healthy enough to play, we stay healthy enough to play, it would be great.”

The only Olympic doubles match Venus has ever lost was at the 2004 Olympics in Athens when she played with Chanda Rubin because Serena was injured and did not compete in Greece.

The sisters have each won four Olympic gold medals. Venus won the singles gold at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, and her best Olympics singles finish since then was the quarterfinals four years ago in Beijing.

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