Written by: O

Venus and Serena Williams are the most undervalued athletes maybe in the history of this country.  Their accomplishments pretty much speak for themselves and their legacy on the tennis court was made the day they began to play professional tennis.  Not only was it odd to see two sisters who were both dominant, but two African-American women who did not go through the regular channels of most American tennis players.  They also were not from the privileged backgrounds of most tennis players in this country as they were from Compton, California, an urban area renowned for violence.  Despite their backgrounds, both of the Williams sisters have continually handled themselves with grace and class, something the media has failed to return.

Early in their careers, it seemed as though their father and coach, Richard Williams, got more press than the sisters themselves.  Some tennis fathers had negative effects on women’s tennis.  Steffi Graf’s father was charged with tax evasion and Mary Pierce had actually obtained a restraining order against her father.  Richard Williams faced something different in that he was continually criticized for his training of his daughters, even though his training got them to the level they achieved without the cost of the traditional tennis training for the elite players of this country.  This training proved to be beneficial as the sisters went thru their teenage years without being consumed by the sport as others had been.

Though they were well known by the time they turned pro at the age of 14 (Venus in 1994 and Serena in 1995), the Williams sisters did not engross themselves with professional tennis.  Venus was very selective about the tournaments she entered and Serena was unable to play in World Tennis Association tournaments.  At first the Williams sisters were talented, but they needed time to learn their craft.  In 1997, Venus Williams went to the finals of the U.S. Open, where she lost in the finals to #1 ranked Martina Hingis.  The potential was now just a matter of time and finally in 1999, Serena became the second African-American woman since Althea Gibson in 1958, to win a Grand Slam tournament when she won the U.S. Open.  Even though Serena was the one to break through and win the first Grand Slam, it would be Venus that would lead the way for a dominant new millennium.

The Williams sisters started the next decade in a huge way and did not falter much throughout.  In 2000, Venus Williams dominated women’s tennis by winning the singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and at the Summer Olympics in Sydney.  Venus defended her Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles in 2001.  Just as it looked like Venus was beginning to dominate tennis, Serena’s game took off.  In 2002, Serena had one of the greatest 12 months ever.  She won the French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open singles title and in 2003, she won the Australian Open for what she called the “Serena Slam.”  After neither sister went to the French Open final for the first time in more than a year, both sisters made the Wimbledon final and Serena won her fifth straight final against her older sister Venus.  Since then, Serena has only won 2 more Australian Opens in 2005 and 2007, mostly because of injuries to her knees.  Meanwhile, Venus has becoming the dominant figure in women’s tennis at Wimbledon as she has won the Wimbledon singles title in 2005, 2007, & 2008.  Both of the Wiliams sisters have clearly left their mark on the game, but unlike most, their feats go beyond the singles events.

The Williams sisters also have superb doubles skills, something unusual in today’s players.  In 1998, Venus Williams won her first Grand Slam titles, as she teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the Australian Open and the French Open mixed double titles.  The same year, Serena had teamed with Max Mirnyi and won the titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, giving them, “the Williams slam.”  In 1999, Venus and Serena teamed together and won the doubles titles in the French Open and the U.S. Open.  Since then, the Williams sisters have won 3 Wimbledon doubles titles (2000, 2002, & 2008) and 2 Australian Open doubles titles (2001 & 2003).

The Williams sisters’ greatness was on display last Saturday when Venus defeated Serena for her 5th Wimbledon singles title and later that same day, the Williams sisters won the doubles title.  As remarkable of a feat as it was, some people forget that it was the third time that both sisters played in the singles final and then won the doubles title in the same year at Wimbledon.  The fact that these two are African-American and that there has not been an African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title in 40 years before them cannot be understated.  Yet, the fact that they are sisters and both have dominated the sport at one time or another is even more astonishing.  Point out that Serena has defeated Venus in five of her Grand Slam championships and one would have to wonder how great would Venus have been if not for her own sister and vice versa.  It should not be understated about the greatness of the Williams sisters, a pairing that most likely will never be seen again.

Tags: Championship, Tennis

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