Welcome to the Williams show" Richard Williams’s proclaimed on a courtside banner when his daughters Venus and Serena battled it out in the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago. On that occasion, the phenomenal sisters had only won one Grand Slam title between them — younger sister Serena had captured the family’s first major at the 1999 U. S. Open — and were nowhere near dominating the women’s tour.

Just 24 months later, the Williams travelling show took centre-stage on women’s finals day and although Richard was absent from the latest battle between the siblings, Wimbledon champion Serena felt his presence from the moment she stepped on court for her historic showdown with Venus. The sisters have not only won three of the last four Grand Slams — Venus triumphed in Flushing Meadows in 2001 while Serena avenged that defeat at Roland Garros last month  they have also both attained the world number one status in a space of five months this year. While many dismissed Richard’s eccentric coaching methods he famously taught his daughters to be world beaters from coaching manuals he can now boast to having guided his offspring to seven major titles in a space of three years and plenty more seem likely.

The pair — the first sisters to contest a Wimbledon final since Maud Watson beat Lilian in 1884 in the inaugural event — have yet to wind up this year’s edition of the Williams show.

When you are watched by ‘The Wall’, you are liable to be rock solid. India’s Mahesh Bhupathi, cheered on by a group of family and friends which included cricketer Rahul Dravid, won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon partnering Russia’s Elena Likhovtseva. They defeated Kevin Ullyett (Zimbabwe) and Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in one hour and 24 minutes in fading light on Centre Court.

"I had lots of friends watching. Me and Rahul were on the SMS yesterday and he said: If you need any support, I am free. I had not won a mixed in three years (since US Open 1999). It feels good," said a thrilled Bhupathi after winning his first mixed doubles major with a non-Japanese partner. The Bangalorean had taken the 1997 French Open and the 1999 US Open with Rika Hiraki and Ai Sugiyama, respectively.

The 28-year-old’s Grand Slam tally is now a healthy six, three each in doubles and mixed. They received 88,500 pounds sterling. He also said that he had not ruled out playing with former men’s doubles partner Leander Paes, though he has made a commitment to Belarussian Max Mirnyi for the US Open. "Things are going well with Max, so why rock that boat?" Bhupathi said. "On saying that, I am open to playing with Leander."

IT was amazing; it was unbelievable. The country was caught in a football fever for a month without India’s participation in the just-concluded World Cup. The media, print and electronic, was covering the prestigious event as if India was at the helm of the championship.

The coverage shows that India is a sporting nation without possessing sporting talent. In the 1998 World Cup in France, when England lost, the coverage there was reduced to single column headings and no more.

South Korea and Japan have come of age in football. South Korea finished fourth among 32, while Japan was among the first 16. China also performed well and the competition showed that there was a positive shift to Asia, which gave the best ever performance. Football, a genuine world sporting extravaganza, is no longer a European monopoly.

Four years ago, Asia’s contingent finished the 1998 World Cup with a dismal record, winning only one of the 12 matches as all four sides crashed out at the first round.

The World Cup, which was won by Brazil, showed that football was meant for brave young men who were full of sportsmanship. It was not meant for weaklings, like Indians, who refuse to tackle. India, ranked at 121, will slide down further judging from the style of play in competitions. Indians run at a snail’s speed while most of the players are more sprinters than footballers. The media may have done a tremendous job for the Indian masses, but it does not seem to have awakened the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) which is devoid of programme and plan. There was a time when India had performed creditably even in the Olympic Games in the 1950s. Now India is nowhere in the reckoning and they are expected to finish at the bottom in the forthcoming Asian Games in September-October in Bushan this year. Judging from Korea’s performance in the World Cup, they should dominate in the Bushan Games followed by Japan, China and several other countries.