Oh yes, that other singles final played on Saturday. Venus beat Serena Williams in a match that nailed, once and for all, this damned conspiracy stuff. It was tennis fair and true, monstrously good in places, laughably uncontrolled in others, but these were two players - that they are sisters was incidental - going about their business. Richard Williams, their father, need not have watched it from behind the sofa.

There are those who were more than keen to keep their seats on No14 Court, watching Rafael Nadal practise for two hours on the day before the men's final, rather than take up their places at £85 each for the fun and frolics on Centre Court. Perhaps they did the sisters a disservice as well.

There was sportsmanship, showmanship, even acts of sisterly grace, and finally a victor who joined Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as one of those who have won this championship five times in the past 40 years. Which makes Venus Ebony Starr Williams a phenomenal player, for she has dropped only three sets in those five finals. She has lost to no one else in the final bar her sister.

“I think winning this tournament so many times puts you in the stratosphere, just because of what this tournament means,” Venus said. “Had I had this achievement at any other tournament, it would have been awesome, but not nearly the same meaning as at Wimbledon. I would have been more disappointed about not being able to make history of winning five than actually not winning the match, if that makes sense.”

It did, indeed. Venus, who was seeded No7 this year, is a different player when she steps through these gates, for she had not reached the final of any tournament this season, but swept through the Wimbledon draw without relinquishing a set.

“She loves it here,” David Witt, her hitting partner, said. “She comes here and it just seems like she glows. She loves the grass and obviously confidence is everything in this game.”

It is true. On grass, her huge serving and flattened-out ground strokes are especially penetrating. On grass, she is more inclined to put her volleys to use. Serena can run but she cannot hide against a game that is all-conquering.

“I draw a lot of energy and inspiration from the things that I have done here,” the champion said. “At times today one of us was really overpowering the other. I had to hit the balls hard against the lines all the time. You have to do that against Serena. In between there were some really competitive and intense points. We are both very powerful and it showed.”

Sporting, too. And not bad when winning the doubles later against Lisa Raymond, of the United States, and Samantha Stosur, from Australia. But it was the singles that mattered. “I had a feeling they were finally going to play a really good final,” Navratilova, the nine-times Wimbledon champion, said. “It was fantastic tennis.” And that's where the story should end.