Lob and Smash
Fansided

Venus and Serena: Sisters, Rivals, Icons, and a Lasting Legacy

By Brandon Daniels

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 31: Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponant Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 31: Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponant Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 22: Serena Williams and Venus Williams play badminton during the 2019 Palace Invitational at Lotte New York Palace on August 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Lotte New York Palace)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 22: Serena Williams and Venus Williams play badminton during the 2019 Palace Invitational at Lotte New York Palace on August 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Lotte New York Palace) /

Final Thoughts

As this pairing enters the fourth decade, it increasingly clear that this “rivalry” wasn’t ever supposed to be about who wins or loses. Yes, Serena won 23 major titles to her sister’s 7. Yes, she leads the head-to-head matchups. Of course, that’s what everyone is going to look at tomorrow before their 31st matchup.

What really matters, however, is what they’ve done as a pairing. They’ve made their mark on the stat sheet with their 30 singles titles, 14 doubles titles, or 3 Olympic gold medals, but what they’ve done more so than anything else is revolutionize the game.

Without the overwhelming power of their serve and groundstrokes, would we have players like Maria Sharapova, who’d eventually become a huge rival to Serena? Who knows.

Without the rise of the Williams sisters, would we be having an influx of African-American players like Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, and Coco Gauff? Likely not.

Next. Andy Murray: His Rise, Fall and Second Wind. dark

They’ll prepare to face each other just tomorrow just as they would for any other match, but what becomes increasingly clear each time they step out on the court together is the fact that tennis would be nothing like what it is now if not for Venus and Serena. That’s a pretty obvious fact.

Home/WTA