Serena Williams had been a vulnerable conqueror at this year's majors, living dangerously and dicing with defeat on numerous occasions as she tried to become only the fourth woman to complete the calendar Grand Slam.
Serbian Djokovic, 31, needed elbow surgery in February to cure a problem that surfaced in 2017, but after some jarring defeats he returned to the kind of domination he achieved in 2015, winning Wimbledon and the US Open.
Images from matches played on Day 7 at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park on Sunday
List of Wimbledon women's singles champions:
A win by Venus would keep the 35-year-old on track for a first grand slam title since 2008 Wimbledon and a possible return to the US Open final where she first made the final in her debut in 1997. But a victory would end little sister Serena's quest for the rarest of tennis feats -- a calendar-year grand slam.
Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova glittered under the Rod Laver Arena lights on Monday, restoring order at the Australian Open after eight women's seeds crashed out in the afternoon sun on a manic opening day. The evergreen Federer strolled into the second round with a classy 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun before fellow-second seed Sharapova ruined Croatian qualifier Petra Martic's 24th birthday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Andy Murray may have a dismal record in the Australian Open final, but he is not the only tennis star to come up short at the majors.
Nothing, absolutely nothing could stop Serena Williams from completing the magnificent TWO-O on Saturday and the American joyously bounced around as she hoisted a Grand Slam singles trophy for the 20th time with victory at the French Open.
Images from the matches played on Day eight of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday
Following Serena Williams's win over Angelique Kerber for her 7th Wimbledon crown, here is a list of Wimbledon women's singles champions since 1922:
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Images from Day 3 of the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne, on Wednesday
Rafael Nadal easily avoided the embarrassment of a back-to-back first round exits at the Australian Open on Tuesday, ramping up his serve and rattling off 39 winners to beat Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
Roger Federer boasted of his fitness, Maria Sharapova felt a bit rusty and Andy Murray berated himself but all three eased into the second week of the Australian Open with third round victories at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
Serena Williams and Marin Cilic both survived third round scares on Friday to keep their US Open title defences on track but there was no escape for Rafael Nadal with the twice-winner going down in a late night thriller.
Images from Day 1 of the Australian Open, in Melbourne, on Monday.
World No 1 Serena Williams swept past good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final on Sunday to move up in the record books with her 18th grand slam title.
Rafael Nadal weathered an early serving storm from Kevin Anderson before dismantling the South African giant with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 masterclass to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday.
IMAGES of the all the action from Day 1 of the Australian Open played at Melbourne Park on Monday
American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was suspended for six months by USA Swimming on Monday following his recent arrest on a drunken driving charge.
Images from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
IMAGES from matches played on Day 7 of the French Open at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday
2016 is at the halfway stage and the year has already seen some stunning sporting wins, underdogs emerging triumphant on the biggest stages of them all.
Photos from the US Open matches played on Monday
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