The Rivalry between Serena and Venus Williams Part V
The fourth part of this series will list the achievements of the Williams sisters in 2003. The last four parts gave information about their rivalry, as well as their matches and scores against one another from 1999 to 2002.
2003: Australian Open, Wimbledon
2003 was, unfortunately, not a good year for the Williams sisters. Despite Serena’s rousing success last year with three Grand Slam victories, it was a year riddled with both injuries and painful losses for the entire family. The
New Year’s only highlights were the sisters’ matches at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
The first match played between the two sisters was also the first Grand Slam title match of the New Year. It was the first time that Serena and Venus played against each other at the Australian Open, but it was their fourth consecutive
match at a Majors event. For the fifth time in a row, Serena defeated Venus, taking away the tournament title with a score line of 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-4. It was far and away the closest match yet between the two of them, since 1999.
This was Serena Williams’s fourth consecutive Grand Slam win, and it meant that she held the title for all four Majors at the same time. She is the most recent player in tennis history to do this, on both the Women’s Tennis Association
and the Association of Tennis Professionals. The last player to accomplish this was the undisputed WTA Greatest of All Time, Steffi Graf. Meanwhile, Serena Williams’s achievement became popular as the “Serena Slam” (a feat which ATP World No. 1 Rafael Nadal
will be attempting next year).
In addition to these exploits, Venus Williams also became the first player, since tennis great Martina Hingis in 1997, to reach the finals of four straight Grand Slams. Together, the two sisters became the first two players to
fight four consecutive finals at the Majors against each other. Their consistent showing at every recent Grand Slam event made it obvious that the two pros were dominating women’s tennis completely. Also, yet again the duo returned as a team to win the doubles
title at the Aussie event.
The next match played by the siblings was at Wimbledon. The two players contested, in a close repeat of last year’s performance at the All England Club. Although it was a competitive match, Venus Williams was hindered by an abdominal
injury which fettered her playing style and speed, and Serena was able to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. This was the second consecutive Wimbledon win for Serena Williams, she had also taken away titles for five of the last six Grand Slam tournaments which she
played in.
However, this Wimbledon match was the last Grand Slam match played between the two sisters for the next five years. They would both withdraw from the WTA tour on numerous occasions due to surgeries, in addition to which they were
forced to deal with the murder of their half-sister, Yetunde Price.
Recap:
The Williams sisters played against each other in two finals at the Grand Slams in the year 2003. Once again, Serena took away both victories. In addition to this, Serena and Venus had dominated WTA tennis and had won the past
four Wimbledon titles collectively. Between the two of them, they had won seven of the past nine Grand Slams, and were said to have a “stranglehold” on women’s tennis.
The head to head score between the two sisters was now 7-5, with the advantage going to Serena. The younger Williams had also won six straight matches against her sister.
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