A tale of two sisters: Venus and Serena

And so it begins. The 2017 season starts with a shout, with one of four Grand Slam events quickly tucked into the schedule. It's hard to believe—and yet, not—that Serena and Venus Williams have been journeying Down Under for nearly 20 years now.

Much has changed for the sport and for them in that time, from beaded-hair styles to family matters, match strategies to relationship statuses. As this year's major premiere gets underway, the sisters find themselves once again in different places as pre-tournament buzz is concerned. And one hardly has to strain to think that they wouldn't have it any other way.

In Serena's case, all eyes are on her. She's the defending finalist, not champion, but every draw she enters remains one where she is expected to triumph. While Chris Evert opines that Serena may be suffering from burnout, something the Williams sisters were often accused of in the early and mid-aughts, some mighty good indicators say she's locked in for two weeks of play in Melbourne.

Yes, Serena arrived in Australia engaged to be married. But she's also engaged with her tennis, terming her 88-unforced-error performance in an Auckland tuneup loss "unprofessional" and calling herself at the time ready for Melbourne's dearth of wind. She seems to prefer not talking about her betrothed, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, as she's not yet processing the news despite her public posts speaking to it. She is, however, offering writing tips to the Aussie Open media pool:

Therein lies Serena's humor and appeal. The joke is never on her; it is always on us, or on those who doubt her. Recall that she has won this Aussie title when less than fit. If she's not processing the particulars of her engagement and wedding planning right now, as she states, she is certainly ready to process a few opponents placed in front of her. (Seven, to be exact.)

Serena has never lost in Melbourne before the third round, and with Belinda Bencic and, likely, Lucie Safarova as her first two foes this week, she's intent on avoiding an upset. "I have a job," she says of actual wedding planning being on hold. "I mean, he does, too, but I've kind of got to focus."

She may be so focused that even the literal bells and whistles that come with promotional events can startle her lately:

For her part, Venus Williams enters this Australian Open without the brouhaha of a romantic engagement. She doesn't have a lengthy oral history written about her, laden with nuggets about her upbringing, although she contributed to what *ESPN* published about Serena and shares many of the same experiences that her younger sister does.

In a nutshell, that's so Venus—forever positive and eager to lift up her sister and add to the narrative. Serena won Wimbledon last year, but one of the marquee stories of that fortnight in London was Venus' return to the semifinal round. She conducted herself well at the majors in 2016, and though an arm injury forced her out of warm-up play in Auckland earlier this month (after an opening victory, mind you), she keeps the fire burning.

Talk about Venus these days centers on her fitness and health, particularly her diet. While Serena nabs headlines that others on the WTA Tour can only dream of, Venus sets to revealing her raw vegan diet for Sports Illustrated and expounding, as she has time and again, on how an elite professional athlete competes for championships while dealing with what can only be a sometimes-stifling autoimmune disease.

Yet there she is: out on the practice court in the early morning, putting in the work that can take her deep in the Australian heat at this first major of the year.

Serena opens against Bencic on Tuesday, while Venus topped Kateryna Kozlova in first day play. The sisters have won 14 major doubles titles and are matched up in pairs play for the first time since the Rio Olympics as well. Of their tandem haul, their four Aussie Open titles are second only to their six Wimbledon doubles crowns. Soon they will face down the team of Timea Babos and Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova, doubles event winners already in this young new year.

Perhaps the House of Williams has never been more united. In short order, everyone will know just how impenetrable that front is.

Thanks to @JeffHernaez for the Serena video tip.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.