By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

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Venus Williams battled through the pain barrier as younger sister Serena beat her again to keep the Wimbledon title and then admitted she would almost certainly have pulled out of the final if her opponent had been anybody else.

Battling Venus, 23, stormed to the first set despite stomach and thigh injuries that now threaten to keep her out of action until just before the US Open in August.

But she eventually lost 4-6 6-4 6-2 to her 21-year-old sibling and said: "Serena and I have taken a lot of flak and been blamed for a lot of things that haven't even happened.

"So I felt I had to take it for the team. Also it's always in the back of your mind, what if..."

Venus also admitted: "Had it been anybody else on the other side of the net my chances of playing would have been down, but the decision to play was always mine and there was no pressure from anybody.

"Obviously I knew it would be tough. My injuries were like a domino effect, the pain passing on to other areas. But when I go out there and look in the sky I always hope to see an angel.

"I felt pressure to play because it was my sister but I also thought the people who paid to watch deserved to see a final and so I decided to give it my best shot."

Venus' reference to "taking it for the team" was clearly about the perception that many critics now think the Williams' dominance of women's tennis is boring and that their attitude is cavalier.

Serena was jeered when losing the French Open semi-final against Justine Henin-Hardenne in Paris a month ago - the only Grand Slam title she has missed in the last six - and there have been rumblings about what priorities the Williams give to tennis.

Even two years ago there was a furious crowd reaction when Venus defaulted from a WTA match in Indian Wells just a few minutes before the scheduled start with tendinitis.

But she looked capable of landing a shock against the world number one on Centre Court after racing to a quick 3-0 lead and then grabbing a deserved first set, despite fears that she would not even play at all after risking just 15 minutes of practice in the morning.

Eventually Serena recovered to take the next two sets and surpass Martina Hingis' tally of five Grand Slam crowns, but she admitted: "I don't know if Venus would have beaten any other player out there. Maybe.

"I always knew she was tough but I didn't know she was as tough as this. I couldn't play like that.

"I have to be at 100% but Venus is a fighter and I couldn't say she would have lost to anybody else."

The opening of the match stunned Centre Court fans as Serena, who was accused of freezing when she first met Venus in a Wimbledon semi-final three years ago, seemed to meekly hand the first set to her older sister with a succession of unforced errors.

But she insisted: "Her groundstrokes were really kicking and she put me right on the defensive. She's played the best tennis of the tournament and possibly should have won it.

"I made far too many errors and started slow but she was also blasting a lot of winners.

"I took a long time to get calm but I kept telling myself that this is Wimbledon and God knows whether you will get this kind of chance again.

"That kept me motivated and although Venus kept playing well I came back. I knew she was injured, of course but, I can't say that made it difficult (for me). She still managed to run down a lot of balls and her serve was an inspiration to her.

"I don't have problems playing against somebody with an injury. I just keep playing.

"It's not the best I've played, anybody who was out there could see that, but I'm satisfied. Your game does change against an injured player. When she came to the net I did try the lob and the passing shots but she just kept fighting.

"It was the same as when I watched her playing in the semi-final against Kim (Clijsters). I was so proud of her, especially coming back to win. And she continued against me as well despite the injury.

"Our family are pretty happy with the day. It could have been a lot worse."

Venus is considering taking time out to rest her injuries.

"Now I'll have to think about taking some time out before the US Open. That's tough because it means when you come back you have to start work again on things like your serve but I'm still determined to be the top player again."