The Baseline Top 5: Venus Williams' Wimbledon highlights

At first glance, there is really no obvious connection between Naomi Cavaday, Anne Keothavong, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Alisa Kleybanova, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Elena Dementieva and Serena Williams. Four of them are retired, Kleybanova has not played a tour-level event since 2014, Martinez Sanchez is currently a doubles specialist and while Williams is widely-considered the greatest player ever, the 35-year-old is out of competition as she awaits the birth of her first child.

Nearly a decade ago, in 2008, those were the seven players who Venus Williams beat to win the last of her five Wimbledon titles at the All England Club.

Guess who is still going strong?

Williams reached the second week of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament for an astonishing 15th time on Friday and even more impressively, put herself in legitimate contention to win a sixth Venus Rosewater Dish — aptly named. Sure, the No. 10 seed hasn’t won a major since 2008. But only one woman has reached the second week of the last six Slams.

That is Venus Williams, who became the oldest woman to reach the fourth round at the grass-court major since nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova did it in 1994. The player who Williams defeated to advance to the second week, 19-year-old Naomi Osaka, was not born until 110 days after Venus debuted in London over 20 years ago on June 28, 1997.

On Monday, Williams beat No. 27-seeded Ana Konjuh—who was also born months after Williams’ first match on London’s lawns. She will next play her 100th singles match at the All England Club in the quarterfinals.

But how has the American managed to maintain her high level for two decades?

“Just love for the game,” Williams said after her second round victory. “I love doing this. You have to. It's a lot of work, a lot of pressure. It's not easy. Just love.”

While a possible 2017 championship theoretically might top the list, take a look at Williams’ five greatest moments at Wimbledon thus far:

1

Saving match point to win Wimbledon title No. 3

When you are down match point in a Grand Slam final against an opponent who has won three majors, odds are that will not be your day. But with a laser-like backhand down-the-line while down 4-5, 30-40 in the third set, Williams hung on against Lindsay Davenport.

“I think it was just a tad bit over the net,” Williams said. “I kind of even hit across it. I just kind of hit it all wrong, but it just went in. Maybe it was just the effort that kept it in.”

That effort was rewarded, as she went on to defeat her compatriot and the No. 1 seed, 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 for Wimbledon win No. 3.

2

The older sister wins

Williams has only beaten her younger sister, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena, in two of their nine head-to-head major finals. Before their meeting in the 2008 Wimbledon final, Venus Williams had lost their five previous championship battles.

But their last clash came five years prior, so in a way, Venus Williams had a chance to start anew. And that she did, overcoming a very fast start by Serena — she won 10 of the match’s first 11 points — to win, 7-5, 6-4.

“I can’t believe it’s five, but when you’re in the final against Serena Williams, five seems so far away from that first point,” Venus Williams told the crowd. “She played so awesome. It was really a task to beat her.”

3

A win 42 years in the making

Althea Gibson won Wimbledon in 1958. But it wasn’t until 2000 that Venus became the first African American woman to win the legendary tournament in 42 years, defeating Davenport, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

She had one word to describe her emotions after the match:

“Proud,” Williams said. “I got the job done. I didn't let anything hold me back—not No. 1, not No. 2, not No. 8.”

Williams defeated top-seeded Martina Hingis, sister Serena and Davenport — the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 2 seeds, respectively — to win her first Grand Slam title. Not bad for a second week’s work.

4

No. 31 to No. 23 to No. 1

Who would have thought that the No. 23 seed, regardless of pedigree, could win at Wimbledon after coming within two points of defeat in the opening round? In 2007, 31st-ranked Venus was all but gone against a teenage Alla Kudryavtseva, down a set and a break.

Williams would not only come back to beat the young Russian, but win the entire tournament, defeating three of the tournament’s top six seeds before cruising past Marion Bartoli to win her fourth Wimbledon crown.

“This win, it’s so much different from the others, because the other ones I felt like I was playing in championship form from Minute 1” Williams said. “Obviously, I feel fantastic. My sixth Slam. I want some more.”

5

Sister, Sister

The Watsons. The Sherriffs. The Williamses.

In 2000, Venus and Serena became the third pair of sisters to compete against one another at Wimbledon, in what would be their first of six meetings at the All England Club thus far.

While Venus did get the better of younger sister Serena en route to her first major title, 6-2, 7-6 (3), there was little joy in walking off the court the victor besides the fact that a Williams was moving on.

“It's really bitter,'' Venus Williams said. ''But someone had to move on. It was either going to be me or Serena.''

Their father, Richard, couldn’t bear to watch the match in-person, electing to stay away from Centre Court.

''When I heard she had tears in her eyes,” Richard Williams said, referring to his younger daughter. “I felt even sadder.”

But looking back at it, this was not a sad occasion. Instead, it was the true start to one of the greatest things to ever happen to tennis—the Williams sisters dynasty.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewikesports

—GRAND SLAM WEEK: WatchWimbledon Primetime on Tennis Channel, and catch up on the other 2017 Grand Slams on Tennis Channel Plus

—Watch encores from the 2017 French Open and Australian Open on Tennis Channel Plus, including matches like the AO Final showdown between Serena & Venus Williams**