Venus Williams has lashed out at cynics who claimed tomorrow's women's singles final with sister Serena will be decided before a ball has been struck.
The pair will clash for the third time in an All England Club final after both progressed through their last four encounters in straight sets yesterday.
But reigning champion Venus reacted furiously to suggestions the game might not be a true competition.
“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," she said.
“I contribute the best in my sport and I also have a tonne 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 subject. We need to move on from this subject because it's ridiculous."
Venus reached her seventh Wimbledon final in fine style, sweeping aside Russia's Elena Dementieva 6-1, 7-6.
Dementieva may have been seeded higher but her opponent's ease and confidence on the big centre court stage proved decisive.
Previous all-Williams finals have not lived up to expectations. It will be the seventh time the pair have met in a Grand Slam final - and Serena has won five of the previous encounters, two of them at Wimbledon.
“I think we would see a better game if one sister has to face someone else," admitted Dementieva.
“It's a very tough situation. I think they are very close and supportive of each other.
“They are very professional but, in the end, family is more important to them."
Venus looked more convincing in her semi-final win, racing to the first set in just 38 minutes and then stealing an early break in the second.
Dementieva rallied to force a tie-break but a series of untimely errors allowed the American to take control.
In contrast, Serena was made to work for her progress against unseeded wild card Jie Zheng.
Zheng, the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, had beaten top seed Ana Ivanovic and she fought hard to claim another prized scalp.
The sixth seed took advantage of Zheng's nervous start, seizing a 5-2 lead before a shower forced the players off. On their return, Williams took the opener but Zheng didn’t give up and had a break point to win the second set.
But she spurned her chance and the American closed out the match 6-2, 7-6.
Promising British junior Laura Robson, 14, who beat the top seed in the third round of the girls’ singles, beat Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski in straight sets to meet Slovakia's Romana Tabakova in the semi-finals.
National School Sport Week is a government initiative managed by the Youth Sport Trust and supported by Norwich Union with the aim to engage more than three million children in sport. It kicked off on June 30.