Serena broke through in ’02 vs. older sister
wonder,” Serena said. “I had to get it again.”
In Monday’s new rankings, Venus will be No.1, and Serena No. 2, the first siblings to sit 1-2. That means they will be seeded Nos. 1 and 2 at tournaments, potentially setting up more finals, including at their next event: Wimbledon.
They share the tour lead with four titles apiece in 2002, and their combined career earnings now top $17 million.
After Venus sent one last groundstroke error into the net, Serena raised her arms, letting go of her racket, and bent over, hands on her knees. When the champion straightened up, she again raised her arms as she turned to her left to face the stands — and not her sister across the net.
They then walked up to the net for a hug. Opponents no more, just family.
After saluting the crowd in French, Serena switched to English to thank “Venus for supporting me all the way and just being the best sister in the whole world.”
The agony of playing a sibling showed: There were very few long rallies or well-constructed points; the momentum swings were many; both were tentative.
“I was thinking when I was out there, ‘Gosh, my dad would be very upset at the way we’re both playing right now,’ ” Serena said. “I was not mentally focused enough.”
It’s not easy to get into a groove when the person you’re trying to bash is the person you eat with, travel with, shop with, and steal toothpaste from (Venus complained, laughing, that Serena had taken the tube from her Paris hotel room).
The sisters turned their backs to each other after most points or would kick at the dirt or play with the strings on their rackets or adjust their dresses. Anything to avoid eye contact.
And yet, there were also rare moments when this French Open final was just two sisters and pals swapping thwacks from opposite ends of a court.
In the second game of the second set, Venus hit a forehand return that landed near the baseline and was called out. She took a step toward the net, then saw Serena raise her index finger to show the ball landed out — and that was good enough for her.
Serena has won their last two matches to improve to 3-5 against Venus. It was the first time in 11 Grand Slam matches between sisters in the Open Era that the younger one won. Take that, Big Sis!
At the 1999 U.S. Open, Venus watched the final from the courtside players’ guest box with her parents, and when she saw her younger sister win, she looked on sullenly, upset that she couldn’t be out there.
“I’ve never seen her that down before,” Serena said at the time.
On Saturday, a very different Venus, towel draped on her shoulders and smile dancing on her face, giggled as she took photos of her sister on the victory podium.
“She showed what she should show,” Oracene Williams said. “Integrity for the sport, for her sister, the family, and strength to know that it’s just a game.”