"I made it a point to tell her that you have to curtsy" - When Venus Williams advised Serena Williams following her maiden Wimbledon triumph
The storied rivalry between Venus and Serena Williams took center stage during their thrilling clash in the final of the 2002 Wimbledon Championships.
Over the course of their competitive history, the sisters faced each other 31 times, with Serena leading 19-12 in the head-to-head. Their clash in the 2002 Wimbledon final marked the third of the nine Grand Slam finals they contested against each other. They had split the results of their previous Major finals, with Venus claiming the 2001 US Open title, while Serena clinched the 2002 French Open title.
Two-time defending champion Venus entered the grasscourt Major as the top seed and only dropped one set en route to the final. Seeded second, Serena also enjoyed a dominant run to her maiden final at SW19, not losing a single set before setting up the highly anticipated final clash with her sister.
Serena Williams won the final 7-6(4), 6-3 to claim the first of her seven Wimbledon titles. The scoreline closely resembled Serena's 7-5, 6-3 win over her sister in the Roland Garros final just a few weeks prior.
Speaking during her post-match press conference, Venus was asked about the advice she had given Serena regarding the proper protocol to collect the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish.
Venus revealed that her own cluelessness after winning her maiden Wimbledon title in 2000 prompted her to advise Serena Williams to remember to curtsy before collecting her trophy.
"Well, no one told me the first year that you have to curtsy. So I was just running around like a fool (laughter). I made it a point to tell her that you have to curtsy. I said, 'Did you know that?' She said, 'No.' 'Well, you have to curtsy.' Actually, that was about it," she said.
Venus and Serena Williams won 12 Wimbledon singles titles between them
Venus and Serena Williams undeniably rank as two of the greatest grasscourt players in the history of the sport. Their dominance at the Wimbledon Championships began when Venus claimed her maiden title after defeating defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the 2000 final.
She successfully defended her title in 2001 against Justine Henin. Her title defense at the 2002 edition of the grasscourt Major came to an end when Serena bagged her first Wimbledon title. The 23-time Grand Slam champion repeated the feat in a rematch of the final in 2003.
Venus went on to claim three more titles at the grasscourt Major, winning in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Meanwhile, Serena won her next title at the grasscourt Major in 2009 by beating two-time defending champion Venus and successfully defended her title in 2010. Serena won three more Wimbledon titles, in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
Additionally, Venus and Serena Williams established themselves as a formidable doubles pairing at SW19, winning six titles (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2016).