LIFESTYLE AND CHAT OK! ICONS
OK! LOOKS BACK AT THE CAREERS OF THE QUEENS OF WIMBLEDON, SISTERS VENUS AND SERENA WILLIAMS
There’s no denying that the Williams sisters are the queens of Wimbledon. While older sister Venus holds five Wimbledon singles titles, Serena has seven, and they have shared six doubles victories.
The tournament, although cancelled this year, holds a special place in both their hearts. The pair have faced each other four times in Wimbledon finals alone, but their competitive spirit is reserved strictly for the court.
Back in 2017, Serena beat her sister to claim a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and Venus, now 40, was the first to congratulate her. The tennis stars shared a heartfelt hug, with Venus saying, “Congratulations Serena on No. 23. I have been right there with you... your win has always been my win.”
“This was a tough one. I really would like to take this moment to congratulate Venus, she’s an amazing person. She’s my inspiration,” Serena agreed. The match was Venus’s first Grand Slam final since 2009, marking a monumental comeback following a battle with autoimmune condition Sjögren’s syndrome.
It was later discovered that Serena, now 38, was in the early stages of pregnancy when she won, welcoming her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Junior seven months later.
Venus and Serena were destined for tennis greatness even before they were born. Their father, Richard, is said to have been inspired to turn his daughters into tennis stars after watching a player win $40,000 in prize money. He later taught both himself and his wife, nurse Oracene Price, to play and coach their girls.
After taking up tennis at just four years old, the sporting sisters spent their early years in Compton, California, before relocating to West Palm Beach to pursue the sport further. Both turned professional at just 14.
As well as playing tennis, both sisters now run their own businesses and have completed bachelor’s degrees, while Serena is studying a pre-medical course in the hope of becoming a doctor after retiring from the game. The pair also own a stake in the Miami Dolphins, making them the first black female owners of an NFL franchise.
But they have also faced significant hurdles, including racism. In 1999, in what was later christened “beadgate”, an umpire docked a point from Venus in her Australian Open match against Lindsay Davenport after her hair beads caused “a disturbance” falling out onto the court.
More recently, in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, Venus told her social media followers, “This just scratches the surface of the hideous face of racism in America.”
Venus has also faced sexism multiple times. Her 2007 Wimbledon win saw her become the first woman to receive equal prize money at the tournament, after a successful campaign against the difference in winnings for male and female players.
“Were there critics? People who wanted me to just be quiet and play? Sure. But I let my racket do the talking,” she said.
In 2011, Serena battled a pulmonary embolism, after falling ill on the way to an Oscars party. She later revealed, “I was on my deathbed at one point.” She returned to competitive tennis just four months later.
The star and her fiancé Alexis Ohanian Sr tied the knot in New Orleans in November 2017, two months after welcoming their daughter. Serena was back on court just eight months after giving birth, with her “sights on 25” Grand Slam titles.
“I think having a baby might help. When I’m too anxious I lose matches, and I feel like a lot of that anxiety disappeared when Olympia was born,” she has explained.
With Venus also saying, “God willing, I’m going to be hitting this ball for a while,” it’s clear there’s no stopping these two. And we can’t wait to see what the Williams sisters do next.