Monica Seles recalls first meeting with Venus and Serena Williams, says the pair showed incredible "determination" at "9 or 10 years old"
Former World No. 1 Monica Seles has revealed that she felt Venus and Serena Williams were both incredibly talented players the moment she met them when they were young kids. Seles also hailed the Williams sisters' father, Richard Williams, for helping them become two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Venus and Serena Williams made their respective debuts in the mid 1990s and have dominated the sport for over two decades. While Serena has 23 Grand Slam titles to her name, Venus is the proud owner of seven Majors.
Rewatching #kingrichard Venus and Serena Williams growing up in Compton vidrise.com/v/oz3jh/ #HappyThanksgiving
On a recent episode of The GOAT: Serena podcast, Monica Seles recalled her first-ever meeting with Venus and Serena Williams. Seles admitted that she was surprised to see the determination and focus the two sisters displayed, given they were not even teenagers at the time.
"I got to meet Serena, Venus, and Mr. Williams very early on in California... I was probably 17 I think. It was before my stabbing when I was the No. 1 player in the world and Mr. Williams reached out to my dad," said Seles on the podcast hosted by Zina Garrison and Chanda Rubin.
"I don't want to lie. I don't remember the exact specifics but I remember such determination, such focus, such concentration. You know, they must have been 9 or 10 years old. I said, 'oh boy and here I am also myself 17-18'," added the 10-time Grand Slam champion.
Monica Seles lauds the role of Richard Williams in shaping Venus and Serena Williams' careers
On the podcast, Monica Seles also lauded the efforts of Richard Williams in shaping the career of his two daughters. Seles stated that the work Richard had done in order to help develop two modern-day greats was "truly amazing."
"You could feel something was very special about these two young kids at that point. I mean, what Mr. Williams did with the two daughters is truly amazing..." concluded Seles.
On the tennis front, Serena Williams recently withdrew from the 2022 Australian Open, saying she was not physically ready to compete. The 40-year-old missed a major chunk of the 2021 season due to a leg injury and it remains to be seen when she will return to the tour.
Also Read: Serena Williams named in Forbes' 2021 list of 100 most powerful women in the world