"That’s when the turning point came in our rivalry, I stopped looking at her" - When Serena Williams discussed her early rivalry with sister Venus
When Serena Williams was trying to summarize her glorious career in her farewell speech at the 2022 US Open, she made it a point to express gratitude towards her older sister Venus Williams. Serena suggested that she wouldn't have become the icon that she is if it wasn't for Venus.
Such has been the bond between two of the biggest players who have raised the bar to a new level altogether. Although they are sisters, they have also been each other's biggest rivals on the court. Having clashed 31 times in over two decades, Serena emerged victorious on 19 occasions while Venus won 12 matches.
The younger sister won her 23rd and last Grand Slam at the 2017 Australian Open when she was eight weeks pregnant. On September 1, Alexis Olympia Ohanian was born.
While away from tennis after the birth of her first child, Serena spoke to Vogue. She mentioned Venus and emphasized how hard her sister worked. Serena also revealed why she hated playing against the seven-time Grand Slam winner.
She stated that whenever Venus started to lose, she would get extremely sad, which would bother Serena and as a result, Serena's performance would dip. So the younger sister decided to stop looking at Venus' face while playing.
“I know that her career might have been different if she had my health,” said Serena. “I know how hard she works. I hate playing her because she gets this look on her face where she just looks sad if she’s losing. Solemn. It breaks my heart. So when I play her now, I absolutely don’t look at her, because if she gets that look, then I’ll start feeling bad, and the next thing you know I’ll be losing. I think that’s when the turning point came in our rivalry, when I stopped looking at her.”
"Venus and Serena Williams are wired differently" - Reilly Opelka
Speaking on the ATP Tennis Podcast recently, Reilly Opelka showered praise on Venus and Serena Williams, saying that they are "abnormal human beings." Clarifying that he was complimenting the legendary players, Opelka stated that they were built differently.
"You look at the mindset of Top 5 guys on tour, they are abnormal. They're extremely abnormal human beings. They're wired differently and I know from experience of being around Venus and Serena Williams, there is nothing normal about them and I mean that as a total compliment," Opelka said.