The Williams sisters are two professional American tennis players: Venus Williams born 1980, seven-time Grand Slam title winner (singles), and Serena Williams born 1981, thirteen-time Grand Slam title winner (singles), both of whom were coached from an early age by their father Richard Williams. There is a noted professional rivalry between them – between the 2001 US Open and the 2009 Wimbledon tournaments, they have met in eight Grand Slam singles finals. They remain very close, often watching each other's matches in support, even after one of them has been knocked out of a tournament.
Both sisters had the honor of being ranked by the Women's Tennis Association at the World No. 1 position. In 2002, after the French Open, Venus Williams and Serena Williams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. During the 2010 French Open, they became the Number 1 team in Doubles, in addition to holding the top two positions in Singles tennis as well.
Venus Williams and Serena Williams are professional tennis players and sisters who have played numerous times in grand slam finals. The current head to head record between the two is 13-10, in Serena's favor. They have met in a total of eight Grand Slam finals (with Serena leading Venus 6-2), ahead of seven finals played by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and by Helen Wills Moody and Helen Jacobs but well behind the record of fourteen finals set by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova[1]. The two sisters' most recent grand slam matches were played in the 2008 and 2009 final at Wimbledon and the 2008 quarterfinals of the US Open.
They played again in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, the first clay court tournament of Serena's career[4], which Venus won 6–4, 6–2. Together they won two doubles titles.
Their next match was almost a year later in the final of the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida. Serena was coming off her first two tournament titles,[5] but Venus won the match 6–1, 4–6, 6–4. The match was the first singles final between sisters on the Women's Tennis Association tour[6] and was described by their father as a "bullfight".
Serena was coming off her first Grand Slam championship at the US Open and defeated her older sister, and defending champion, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3. Venus was the only top player up to this point that Serena had not yet defeated.[8] Together, they won three doubles titles, two of them being majors; French Open & U.S Open.
Entering their next match in the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2000 (their first match against each other on grass), Serena was the favorite.[9] However, the victory went to Venus 6–2, 7–6(3), who would go on to win the Wimbledon trophy for her first Grand Slam singles title. They teamed up to win the doubles title and later the Olympics Gold Medal. Venus's career advantage now stood at 4–1.
They started out the year by winning the Australian Open doubles title.
In the spring at the Tennis Masters Series in Indian Wells, California, amid controversy Venus withdrew before her scheduled semifinal match against Serena. The Williams family was accused of match-fixing, but the accusation was dismissed by most, including Andre Agassi who called it "ridiculous.
This was the first final involving sisters at a Grand Slam tournament during the open era and the first since the Watson sisters played in the 1884 Wimbledon final. This match has been described as arguably "the most-anticipated tennis final in years".[12] However, nerves seem to have played a factor in the match, which was won easily by Venus 6–2, 6–4.[12] Noted journalist Peter Bodo has said that this first Grand Slam final played between the Williams sisters was "really a pretty lousy match,.. even though it was a great performance by the winner."[13] With the victory, Venus now led their rivalry 5–1 and in Grand Slam singles titles 4–1.
Venus and Serena would play each other four times in 2002. In addition to being the most times they had met in a single year, this would also mark the first time that Serena would end the season with a leading head-to-head, 4-0.
Their first meeting of the year occurred in the semifinals at the NASDAQ-100 Open. Serena won the match 6-2, 6-2, only the second victory over her sister in her career and the first since 1999. Venus's loss was described as "listless" and it ended her streak of 22 consecutive matches and three consecutive titles at the event.
Their next meeting was their second in a Grand Slam final, but their first on clay courts. At Roland Garros Serena beat Venus in a "tight" match 7-5, 6-3. The Grand Slam was the first for Serena in three years, and it was the first final at the French Open ever played by sisters. By reaching the final, Venus and Serena assured themselves of moving up to first and second in the world rankings, respectively.[15]
One month later, the Williams sisters again met in a Grand Slam final, at Wimbledon. Again, Serena was the victor 7–6(4), 6–3 and the win moved Serena past her sister to the top of the rankings. Venus still led 5-4 in their head-to-head and 4-3 in Grand Slams, but it was now Serena who was seen as the player "now setting the agenda for women's tennis.
Analysis
This section analyzes the rivalry in regards to their professional and personal relationship, how their entwined careers and rivalry has affected their legacy, and the overall cultural impact of the rivalry.
Relationship and competitive dynamic
The professional relationship and dynamic between Venus and Serena Williams is deeply affected by their close personal relationship. The notion of two top professionals emerging from the same family to compete against one another is unprecedented, and is a scenario which has been described as being "as improbable as one set of parents raising Picasso and Monet.Peter Bodo, further speaking to the unlikeliness of two Grand Slam champions emerging from the same family states "It's a common occurrence that will cease to be possible, perhaps ever again, the moment they set the sticks aside.
In fact, part of the reason that the women's final at the US Open was moved to its "prime time" spot was because of the positive effect that the Williams sisters had on television ratings.[31] CBS's four highest-rated US Open women's finals of the last decade all involved the Williams sisters.
The Williams legacy can also arguably be seen in the increased representation of African Americans among tennis professionals and new players, though their representation among professionals still remains small.[33][34] A third of all new players at the grass-roots level are either African American or Hispanic, a fact to which the USTA's president Jane Brown Grimes says, "I can't help but think that Venus and Serena are drivers behind that.
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