For two decades, Venus and Serena Williams together created a true fairy tale in modern times, a journey in which two cousins lead each other hand in hand to many paths of glory. In the history of human sports, the Williams sisters are the most successful pair of athletes, and also the most impressive in the minds of the audience.
There are many stories about siblings who became famous in their sports careers, and behind those stories are always lessons about history, hard work and noble sacrifice. But in the contemporary flow, Venus and Serena Williams are separate and unique no matter what the reason is.
Maybe, they were born in the age of mass media, competing in a sport whose popularity is second only to football, but above all, the Williams sisters bring a completely different view of life. approach to the sport, changing the public’s view of people of color dominating the game, which had its origins in the aristocracy. Roger Federer once said that the presence of Venus and Serena is a guarantee for the success of any tournament. Because the audience is curious, and also because the audience is so familiar with the standards they have set for the felt ball industry over the past 20 years.
Venus and Serena together share 30 individual Grand Slam titles, equivalent to 37% of the total number of Grand Slam tournaments since 1997, when they began to explore and conquer the top battlefields. If the two combine to play doubles, the achievement is 14 Grand Slams and remember, those 14 “common” titles were won after only 19 times standing on the same side of the court. The two sisters’ total competition prize money has reached 130 million USD and that number will not stop at the age of U40, both of them are still diligently practicing and testing the limits of their endurance.
Venus and Serena have simply broken all the barriers and conventions that have been established for decades in tennis. Before them, the last event a woman of color ever won a Grand Slam took place… half a century ago, in 1958 when Althea Gibson was crowned at the US Open.
Serena – Venus
The story of the Williams sisters begins on public tennis courts, where the government opened outdoor living spaces to residential communities. Of course, those places are not ideal playgrounds to pursue professional sports. Serena still clearly remembers the feeling of practicing hitting the ball and “inhaling” the smell of marijuana coming from the bushes on both sides of the soccer field. To be precise, places “for the masses” such as parks and football fields are more suitable for criminals than athletes. Without any support tools, even the horizontal net was woven by their mother herself. Venus and Serena only had their father as their motivation and fulcrum. At the same time, just a 10-minute drive from where they live, Nick Bollettieri is charging millions of dollars a year from rich students who want to try out at the most prestigious tennis academy on the planet.
But Venus and Serena are not Cinderellas, they do not carry the message of a fairy tale about fate overcoming adversity. When answering CNN in 2004, Venus said that as soon as she earned her first money, her sisters thought of ways to reinvest and improve the science in competition to develop a long-term career. They care about even the smallest details, such as the tension of the racket strings and anti-callous hand tape. “When you identify as a professional tennis player, everyone is equal and the same,” Serena told the Washington Post in 2013.
Starting their tennis career in the early stages of tennis and continuing to survive with resilience as the game transitioned to a series of durable balls that challenged the players’ patience, Venus and Serena were embodies eternal values, resisting time. With 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena has broken Steffi Graf’s record and it is worth mentioning that 10/23 of those titles were conquered by her after the age of 30. As for Venus, who turned 41 three years ago month, declaring “I want to play until I’m 45”.
The Williams sisters receive gratitude from NikeVenus and Serena Williams recently acted together in the movie titled You Can’t Stop Sisters (roughly translated: You can’t stop our sisters) sponsored by Nike. This is a movie with content revolving around the power of sports and the sisterhood between Venus and Serena Williams. “I don’t know how to describe my feelings. This is truly a wonderful gift we received from Nike,” said sister Serena.
Sister Venus wants a rematch with younger sister SerenaFormer world No. 1 Venus Williams just shared about wanting to rematch with her younger sister Serena. “The opponent I always wanted to face? Of course, it’s Serena,” the 41-year-old tennis player confided to the media, “Every match with Serena always gives me special emotions, regardless of the win or loss result.” Still according to Venus, she and Serena plan to hold an exhibition match later this year in New York, USA.