"I wasn't ready for Venus to play that hard, she usually doesn't play that well" - When Serena Williams commented on Wimbledon defeat to Venus
Serena Williams and Venus Williams' very first clash at Wimbledon came in the semifinals of the women's singles event in 2000.
Serena Williams was seeded eighth at the tournament and booked her place in the final four without losing a single set and dropping only 13 games along the way. She then faced her sister Venus Williams, who was the fifth seed and ousted top seed Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals.
The older Williams sister eventually won the match 6-2, 7-6(3) to reach her second Grand Slam singles final. Venus Williams thus took a 4-1 lead in the head-to-head against Serena Williams.
Serena Williams said in her post-match press conference that her sister brought her best game and that she wasn't all that ready for the match.
"Venus played pretty well today. She brought out her best game against me today. I just - I don't know. I guess I wasn't all that ready," the then-teenager said.
When asked once again about her "not being ready" for the match, Serena Williams said that she wasn't prepared for Venus Williams playing the way she did, claiming that her sister didn't usually play that well.
"I never said that I was not prepared in the beginning. I said I wasn't ready for Venus to play that hard. She usually doesn't play that well," the American said.
Venus Williams eventually won the women's singles event at Wimbledon 2000 by beating her compatriot and second seed Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final. She also won the women's doubles event at the grasscourt Major with Serena Williams as her partner.
The pair were seeded eighth in the tournament and beat the French-Japanese duo of Julie Halard-Decugis and Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams have won a combined 12 singles titles at Wimbledon
The Williams sisters have won a total of 12 singles titles at Wimbledon, with Serena Williams triumphing on seven occasions while Venus Williams won five times.
They locked horns in the final of the grasscourt Major four times. Serena Williams won in 2002, 2003 and 2009 while Venus Williams came out on top in 2008.
Apart from their singles victories, the Williams sisters were incredibly successful in the doubles tournament at Wimbledon, triumphing six times. They did not drop a single set in any of the finals.