An old controversy reared its head Thursday -- or did it? -- when Elena Dementieva seemed to suggest match fixing on the part of the Williams clan in her post-match press conference following her straight-set semifinal loss to Venus. Here’s the transcript:

Q.  If it is an all Williams final, how do you see it?

     ELENA DEMENTIEVA:  I mean, if they're going to play against each other, I mean, I don't know what to say.  I mean, I cannot imagine myself playing against someone from my family.  It's really hard.  For sure it's going to be a family decision.

A few moments later, a reporter asked the Russian to clarify.

Q.  When you say it's a family decision, do you mean they're going to sit down and decide who the winner's going to be?

     ELENA DEMENTIEVA:  Well, I don't know how it's gonna be because.  I mean, I have never faced that situation in my life so, I mean, it's really hard for me to say.  But I just don't know.

Venus was then asked in her presser about the comments and minced no words.

Q.  Some have noted, believe it or not, there's still a skepticism in the public in terms of one Williams sister playing another.  Elena Dementieva just said that she felt the outcome of the final would be a result of a family decision.  Could you talk to the public in terms of what happens when Venus plays Serena and whether there's any family decision, any discussion beforehand.

     VENUS WILLIAMS:  Well, the main thing is that I find the question pretty offensive because I'm extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court.

     I contribute my best in my sport, and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family.  So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family.  That's pretty much how I feel about the whole subject.

Dementieva, it should be noted, was the player who fanned the flames of the infamous Williams sisters incident at Indian Wells in 2001 when Venus beat her and was slated to play her younger sister in the semifinals. "Richard is going to decide who wins tomorrow," Dementieva said, the the rest is one big ugly history. Venus ended up defaulting to Serena in the semifinals, and Serena was then booed so horribly in the final that Richard labeled the venue racist and the two Americans have never set foot in Indian Wells again (even though Serena spends much time in L.A.). In the years since, whenever asked, they have reiterated their vow never to return, no matter what the consequences. 

The Russian’s history surely lends credence to the notion that her latest comment was what it was, though her second answer is vague and muddled. It's not entirely clear what she thinks, though shcertainly didn’t back off her initial comment about “family decision” when given the opportunity. 

Later, the women’s tour issued a statement from Dementieva apologizing that English is her second language and that she meant to say “family situation.” A portion of the release adds:

I do not think for one second that matches between Serena and Venus are family decisions. What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be playing for a Grand Slam title. I cannot imagine what it must be like. I have a lot of respect for Serena and Venus, they are extremely professional in everything they do and have done so much for the sport. If they do play each other in the final, I expect a very tough match as they are two of the biggest fighters in the game.

Dementieva is a tough competitor and not a particularly catty or critical one. Her English, in fact, is quite good. I’d be interested to know how readers take her comments.

Meantime, Laura Robson steams on. The 14-year-old defeated No. 9 seed Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. The Brits, of course, are all over the story. Only so long before they smother her into oblivion. Here’s some on her back-story. Robson, who’s homeschooled and comes from an athletic family, has been in the main interview room twice already this week. She lives five minutes from the All-England Club and calls Wimbledon her “local tournament.” Heady stuff.

Herewith, my stories from Thursday and Friday.