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London - Venus Williams insists age will be no barrier to her and sister Serena as the American duo looks to extend their dominance at Wimbledon into a second decade.
Venus's energetic style on court and youthful attitude off it give the impression she hasn't aged a day since she made her debut at Wimbledon in 1997.
But she turned 30 last week and, like the 28-year-old Serena, is now well into the latter stages of her career.
In a sport where gifted players are thrust into the limelight before they are even old enough to leave school, the Williams sisters are approaching the time when many of their peers will opt to hang up their rackets to avoid being swept aside by the next generation.
Yet age means nothing when you have the fierce competitive instincts drilled into Venus and Serena by their father Richard all those years ago on the rough courts of south-central Los Angeles.
It is just 12 months since Serena beat Venus in the fourth all-Williams Wimbledon final and both are still so dominant that it would be little surprise if one of them has the Rosewater dish, awarded to the women's singles champion, packed away in their luggage on the flight back to America in two weeks.
Venus, the world number two, believes age is just a number if you have the right attitude and she said: "I think people are just able to accept that you can play tennis a lot longer.
"In the past people didn't go past 27. But at this age it's when you really most understand the game.
"It's actually an advantage to be out here at this stage in the career. I just grind every day, day in, day out.
"I'm not thinking about age when I play. The more you win, the more you lose, the more you understand."
Since Venus's first Wimbledon success in 2000, the sisters have won eight of the last 10 women's singles titles at the All England Club.
It is an astonishing run and, since both world number one Serena and Venus still possess the potent mix of power and poise that makes them so hard to beat on fast grasscourts, there is every chance it could extend into the new decade.
The lack of quality outside the top handful of players on the women's tour only increases the suspicion that no matter what form the Americans are in when they arrive at the All England Club on Monday -- and neither have been inspired of late -- they have too much talent for their rivals.
If there is to be a shock powershift at Wimbledon this year, it is hard to predict who will snatch the trophy from Serena.
Francesca Schiavone is in the form of her life after exceeding all expectations to win the French Open, yet the Italian's triumph smacked of a modest player raising her game to levels that may never be reached again.
Jelana Jankovic beat both the Williams sisters in Rome in May, but the Serbian has never been past the last 16 at Wimbledon.
Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki is the young gun who could make the breakthrough after rising to third in the world rankings, while experienced Belgian Justine Henin is likely to pose a threat on her first Wimbledon appearance since 2007.
As ever, 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova will attract as much attention for her photogenic looks as her tennis, although the Russian emphasised her grasscourt credentials by reaching the Birmingham Classic final last week.
Like the Williams' sisters, Sharapova is no longer one of the tour's young guns, but she still gets the same thrill from competing at grand slam events like Wimbledon.
"I always look forward to it. I love this tournament as much as I did many years ago," Sharapova said.
"The week before when there's just the players, the groundsmen getting the last bits and pieces out there, you really feel that atmosphere, the intensity of something going on."
