I wish it was Venus not Maria: Serena

Serena Williams goes in search of a third Wimbledon title, sad that she will be facing Russian teenager Maria Sharapova and not big sister Venus.

Serena Williams goes in search of a third successive Wimbledon title on Saturday sad that she will be facing Russian teenager Maria Sharapova and not big sister Venus.

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"I wish she was still here and I definitely wish she was in the final," said top seed Serena.

"I would have been really nervous about it because she had been playing so well but now I will just have to be focussed on my opponent."

Venus, who won here in 2000 and 2001 before finishing runner-up to Serena in 2002 and 2003, was the third seed here this year but was knocked out by Croatia's Karolina Sprem in the second round.

Sharapova, meanwhile, has enjoyed a magical run to become the second youngest ever women's finalist in the Open era with the Russian 17-year-old grabbing headlines and column inches with her flowing blonde hair and long legs.

But Williams is determined to crush the fairytale by becoming the first woman to win three successive titles here since Steffi Graf pulled off a similar treble from 1991-93.

Williams defeated Sharapova in their only previous meeting in Miami in March, the tournament which marked the American woman's return to the circuit after an eight-month injury lay-off.

"She's a better player now than she was then," said Williams.

"But I feel like this is my domain and I don't want to give it up. I love it here and to win the title three times will be amazing.

"That's what I want. I would be pretty proud because I have had some tough matches since I came back."

Williams, who has won six Grand Slam crowns, clinched her first at the US Open in 1999 when, like Sharapova, she was also just 17.

"I had an intuition that I wasn't going to lose in that tournament," she said.

"I lived and died for every moment. When you are younger, you have nothing to lose."

Williams, like Sharapova, also had to come back from a set and a break down to reach Saturday's final battling through a marathon three-setter to see off Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-4.

"I haven't played too many matches or tournaments this year. I can probably count them on one hand.

"It's also been a long time since I have played a match that close so it proved that I still have the competitive juices and the desire."