Tennis Special Feature: The Rivalry between Serena and Venus Williams - Part I
The professional rivalry between professional tennis players and sisters, Serena and Venus Williams, is almost entirely unprecedented in the history of the sport. The two sisters, who are both Grand Slam champions and have competed against each other on
numerous occasions at the Grand Slams, are regarded as an anomaly in the tennis world. Noted tennis analyst and writer Peter Bodo once commented on the unlikelihood of two Majors winners being born into the same family, saying, “it’s a common occurrence that
will cease to be possible, perhaps ever again, the moment they set the sticks aside.”
The current head to head record between the two sisters is 13-10, with Serena leading the score. They have competed in eight Grand Slam title matches together, with Serena winning six of the matches to claim the tournament cup. The only pair of players to
compete in more Grand Slam finals against each other is Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, with a record of fourteen titles. Serena and Venus’ record is followed closely by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanxhez-Vicario, and Helen Jacobs and Helen Wills Moody with
seven finals each.
The two sisters played their most recent Grand Slam match against each other in 2009 at the final of Wimbledon. Before this, they competed against each other at the 2008 US Open quarterfinals and the 2008 Wimbledon final. Both the sisters have been ranked
World Number 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association during their respective careers. However, Serena tops her elder sister again in this field. Venus has only been ranked at the top spot for eleven weeks, with her reign beginning in February 2002. Serena has
been ranked at the same spot for an accumulated total of 118 weeks. She first received the honour in July 2002.
Currently, Serena Williams is World Number 4 (losing the top spot due to injuries in 2010), followed closely by her sister Venus at World Number 5. The two sisters are the only women in the history of the Open Era to have played against each other in four
straight Grand Slam title matches. Despite Serena being the better player, Venus currently holds 43 career titles – six more than Serena’s, who has 37.
The matches between Serena and Venus have always been emotionally charged, owing to their close personal relationship and deep affection. The semantics of such competition between members of the same family, especially those who are attached to each other,
is often complicated and intense. Chris Evert, tennis legend, would probably be able to relate to this dilemma. She once said, about facing her sister Jeanne Evert on court, “It was the worst feeling ever. We were both very competitive and Jeanne wanted to
kill me. We couldn’t even look at each other. We just played the balls and wanted to win and then get off the court and not deal with it.”
The Williams sisters and their rivalry have left behind an almost unchangeable legacy for the sport of tennis. Their final at the 2001 US Open drew so much attention that the TV screening of the event was moved to the primetime spot. The highest rated US
Open women’s finals recorded by CBS were all fought by the Williams sisters. Another positive effect left behind by the two sisters is the increased representation of minority players on tennis courts. A third of all newcomers are now either Hispanic or African
Americans, and this has not gone unnoticed. US Tennis Association President Jane Brown Grimes says, “I can’t help but think that Venus and Serena are drivers behind that.”
This feature, written as a series, aims to revisit the heyday of the Williams sisters and their rivalry. Part II will begin with an analysis of their matches.
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