Lob and Smash
Fansided

Venus and Serena: What will tennis be like without them?

By Brandon Daniels

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 09: Venus Williams of The United States and Serena Williams of The United States celebrate victory in the Ladies Doubles Final against Timea Babos of Hungary and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 09: Venus Williams of The United States and Serena Williams of The United States celebrate victory in the Ladies Doubles Final against Timea Babos of Hungary and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

30 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles titles. Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles. World Number 1in singles and doubles. 1st and 2nd in all-time career earnings in the WTA. Rivals. Opponents. Friends. Family.

The Williams Sisters.

Sisters Serena (L) and Venus Williams (R) pose for the pre-match portrait before their women’s final match at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, 08 September 2001. It is the first Grand Slam final between black rivals and the first between sisters in 117 years. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Sisters Serena (L) and Venus Williams (R) pose for the pre-match portrait before their women’s final match at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, 08 September 2001. It is the first Grand Slam final between black rivals and the first between sisters in 117 years. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) /

Venus and Serena Williams have absolutely dominated women’s tennis since their respective debuts in 1994 and 1995. They have each ran through their opponents and have created one of the most memorable rivalries in tennis, against each other. Their fiery passions burn eternally in every match, but it’s over as soon as they meet at the net. They’ve become so memorable that the two sisters have been displayed with their first names on television scoreboards when they’ve previously faced off against each other.

The sisters’ reign over the WTA has barely wavered, if at all. They have collected at least one major singles championship in 15 of the last 20 years, dating back to 2000. In addition, they’ve won at least 2 majors in 12 of those 15 years. On the doubles side, 9 of those 20 years have resulted in at least one grand slam. Out of their 23 doubles finals appearances since 1998 (their first finals appearance), they’ve only lost once.

It is, without a doubt, that the Williams sisters are two of the most iconic tennis players of all time. Their unrelenting passion and drive have resulted in a mind-blowing reign over women’s tennis since they turned pro. Now 39 and 38 years old, Venus and Serena Williams won’t be playing professional tennis for very much longer. It’s even possible that, with the coronavirus pandemic suspending the season, that they decide to retire before we ever see them step out on the court again. With that, we’ll be losing two of the greatest tennis players that ever lived. They took control of tennis from the great Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis. They fought off stars like Justine Henin and Jennifer Capriati to remain at the very top. Their unprecedented greatness will most likely never be seen again, especially not in the form of two sisters. Venus and Serena ushered in a new age of women’s tennis: The Age of the Williams Sisters. Now that it’s soon likely to reach the end, we as tennis fans need to all wonder what tennis is going to be like without them. Will there ever be a phenomenon like this in the future? We’d better hope so.

Home/WTA