Who Are Venus and Serena Williams?

Who Are Venus and Serena Williams?
At the 1999 Lipton Championships tennis tournament in Florida, eighteen-year-old Venus Williams stared across the net at her opponent. It was the final match. Venus had won this same tournament a year earlier. She was moving up the world rankings and was among the top young players in the world. Her opponent was pretty good, too. She had won sixteen straight matches, the most in the world at that time, and she was also Venus’s younger sister, Serena. Off the court, they were family. On the court, they were rivals.
This was a historic match. It was the first time that sisters had faced off in a major professional tennis tournament final since 1884! Tennis fans around the world were thrilled to watch these two young stars battle. (Earlier in the year, the two sisters had each won a tournament on the same day a first in world tennis!)
At the Lipton Championships in Florida, both players wanted to win, but both also knew they would feel bad for whichever sister lost.
“Why would I want that to come between someone who has always been around, always been a very special friend for me? I couldn’t imagine that and I don’t think she could either,” Serena said.
The sisters knew they would still love each other no matter what. But… someone had to win and someone had to lose.
A player who wins six games wins a set, and Venus, a year older and more experienced, won the first set, six games to one. Women’s tennis matches are best-out-of-three sets. Serena roared back to win the second set, six games to four. Tied at one set apiece, whoever won the third and deciding set would be the champion. In that third set, the sisters were tied at four games apiece when Serena made several errors. That gave Venus an opening. She won two straight games, giving her the set and the match.
That championship match in Florida was the first of what would become twenty-seven sister vs. sister matches over the course of their careers. When they were not playing each other, Serena and Venus Williams beat just about everyone else they played.
Together, the Williams sisters have transformed tennis. Both have been ranked No. 1 in the world and both have rooms full of trophies and championship medals. Their powerful styles of play have changed women’s tennis forever. Their fashion sense and drive to win have made them heroes and role models to millions. Their African American heritage also stands out in a sport that has traditionally been nearly all white.
It hasn’t always been easy. They have battled injuries and illness, faced tragedy, and dealt with racism. Along the way, there were some people who didn’t want them to succeed.
But Venus and Serena just keep playing. They are determined not to let anything stop them from winning. Not even each other.