Serena Williams’ sister Venus Williams has come out in praise of her sibling, stating in a recent interview that she was inspired by Serena even though she was the younger of the two. Venus, a former World No. 1 herself, credited her sibling for showing her that she too could win a Grand Slam title, an achievement she completed as a teenager.
Serena, one year younger to Venus, made her debut on the WTA Tour as a 14-year-old in 1995. Venus, on the other hand, made her debut the previous year, and made her first Slam final in 1997 at the US Open. However, she fell in the final to Martina Hingis, and did not win her maiden Major title until 2000. That year, she reigned supreme at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Her sister, though, reached her first Grand Slam final at the 1998 US Open, and won the title on her first attempt, stunning Hingis in the summit clash after taking out defending champ Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and Monica Seles in the quarterfinals.
Speaking to Virgin Radio UK during the promotion of her upcoming book – ‘Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome’ – Venus Williams touched on her relationship with her sister. The seven-time Grand Slam champ was all praise for the younger Williams, stating that she leant a lot from her, even though she often barely spoke a word.
“I had the honour of having great company in Serena and I learned so much from her too because she was younger and she was the first in the family to win a Grand Slam even though I was the first to be on tour,” Venus Williams said.
“I don’t think Serena knew at the time because she was 17 years old and what do you know at that age? But at that age just by her doing something positive and being amazing, she didn’t say a word and her actions spoke loud enough,” she added.
Venus was particularly in awe of Serena Williams’ courage of character in winning a Major at such a young age, saying:
“I learned so much from her just by watching without her even saying a word. By her courage, character and her fearlessness, I said ‘I want that too, that’s how you win a Major’. It’s so interesting that just by doing something positive you don’t even have to say a word you can influence someone else.”
“I don’t even want to not be co-dependent with Venus Williams” – Serena Williams
Speaking in a recent interview with Glamour magazine, Serena Williams shed light on her relationship with her sister Venus, jokingly saying that they are still ‘co-dependent’ on each other and she did not want to think of a life separate from her elder sibling.
Serena highlighted how Venus Williams’ presence made her feel more connected to someone on the WTA Tour, with the duo even living together for a long while until the younger Williams married Alexis Ohanian in 2017.
“I don’t even want to not be codependent with her. I love her. I don’t want our lives to ever be separate. You’re on the road for 10 or 11 months out of the year. You really rely on having someone else out there. And Venus was there, and who else was going to relate to me?”
“We were successful, and we were Black. We leaned on each other. We lived together. We lived together until a year before I had Olympia, so literally our whole lives,” Serena Williams said.
Serena Williams finally hung up her racket in 2022, playing one last time at the US Open. Venus Williams, on the other hand, is still active on the WTA Tour, even if she is currently on the sidelines recovering from an injury.
