"I don’t know to say she’s been underappreciated, but there’s a little shadow cast on her because of Serena" - Chris Evert on Venus Williams
Former American tennis player Chris Evert said there is always a little shadow cast on Venus Williams by her illustrious sister Serena Williams. The former American tennis player, along with John McEnroe, spoke to ESPN about Serena Williams’ legacy and impact on tennis.
The 2022 US Open will be Serena Williams' last tournament before she hangs up her racket. Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, will be gunning to end her career on a high.
Evert said Venus Williams has shown a lot of class and grace on the court and has always supported Serena during big matches.
"I think, again, the thing about Venus, it’s just lovely to see the support she’s given Serena. She’s always in the stands when Serena is playing big matches. And she’s always shown a lot of class and a lot of grace off the court as well as on the court," Evert said.
She added that Venus Williams too deserves a great send-off.
"And I think she’s — I don’t know to say she’s been underappreciated, but I think, again, there’s a little shadow cast on her because of Serena," Evert said. "Venus herself merits having a great send-off and her contributions to tennis as well."
Venus Williams is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to Serena Williams: John McEnroe
Former American player and tennis legend John McEnroe concurred with Evert on Venus Williams' legacy and said she is the greatest thing to have happened to Serena Williams.
"And Venus, I’ve said — she’s been the greatest thing that’s ever happened to her sister. She’s obviously an unbelievable player. And she has some varied interests as well. We don’t know as much. Venus has been pretty tight-lipped for a long time. It’s hard to know where exactly she’s coming from. But I hope she’s in a good place and she deserves to be," McEnroe said.
McEnroe added that he would be surprised to see Venus Williams play much longer than her sister.
"I’d be surprised if she plays much longer," he said. "As a matter of fact, I would think that she would stop playing the same time Serena does."
Both Serena and Venus Williams practiced together at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Six-time champion Serena will meet Danka Kovinic in her first-round match while Venus begins her campaign against Alison Van Uytvanck.
The official Twitter handle of the US Open posted pictures of the sisters training together.
"The Williams sisters in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Iconic," the post was captioned.
The Williams sisters in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Iconic. https://t.co/pOi38fqLJb
It remains to be seen if the Williams sisters will compete in doubles this year at the New York Major. They have twice won the women's doubles crown at the US Open, winning their first title in 1999 and again in 2009.