Both sisters endured injury-blighted years in 2006 but Serena returned to win the Australian Open in January, a triumph that her elder sister hailed as the inspiration for her own return to the top at the All England Club.

A straight sets victory over France's Marion Bartoli allowed Venus to add to her 2000, 2001 and 2005 titles on Saturday, taking her tally of Grand Slam titles to six, two behind Serena's haul of eight.

She said: "When it comes to Wimbledon I have more but in the overall count I have a couple less. When I saw her win in Australia, I knew I could do it. We just love each other and inspire each other like that."

Having missed the second half of last year with a career-threatening wrist injury, Venus had had to endure being written off as a spent force at the age of 27.

But she insisted: "I never doubted myself that I could come back. There was a lot of work behind the scenes. I started in January, I finally got to play in February and step by step I was getting healthier and stronger, getting back to physically the way I was.

"I definitely think Serena and I can play more finals against each other, as long as we have a chance to prepare and stay fit.

"I feel fantastic after my sixth slam and I want some more. It would have been wonderful if Serena (who lost to Justine Henin in the quarterfinals here) had also got to the final and I think it could happen again, for sure."

Bartoli joked that she had lost because she did not have former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan cheering her on.

The 22-year-old, who had attributed her semifinal win over Henin to the presence in the crowd of one of her favourite movie stars, revealed that she had received a pre-match bouquet of flowers and a letter of encouragement from Brosnan.

But even that gesture could not give her the ammunition to match Williams's firepower.

"Venus just played some unbelievable tennis," Bartoli said. "She reached balls like I've never seen anyone reach balls on a tennis court and she even hit them back harder.

"I can't see a player who can beat her on grass when she plays like this. She's just too good you know.

"When you receive the ball at 120mph you get a shock in the wrist and I'm not used to it."

Despite the disappointment at losing out in her first Grand Slam title, Bartoli said she would leave London with no regrets.

"It is not because of my nerves that I lost this match," she said. "I really played the best that I could play. Considering all the fatigue and that this was my first final, I think I did a pretty good job overall."