"Serena has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness and that’s what she is – the greatest ever" - Venus Williams on sister Serena Williams
Venus Williams was the first of the Williams sisters to take up tennis and her younger sibling Serena Williams followed in her footsteps. However, Venus has stated that she has learned a lot from being around the greatness of her sister Serena, who she called "the greatest ever."
42-year-old Venus Williams also emerged on the professional tour before her sister, but it was Serena Williams who ended up with greater achievements, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles among other successes. Together, the Williams sisters were unbeaten in all 14 Grand Slam doubles finals they played.
Speaking during a recent interview with Glamour UK, the seven-time Major singles champion spoke about her admiration for and relationship with her sister Serena.
"Serena has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness and that’s what she is - the greatest ever," Venus Williams said.
The American great also stated that she treats her sister's success as her own, while it further motivates her to emulate the same. She went on to say that she enjoys other people's success and uses that energy as inspiration to improve her own game.
"It’s more of a motivation and when I see her doing great, it’s my success. It’s also motivating for me and lets me know I also can do that, and that’s how you have to look at other people’s success," Williams expressed.
"I love seeing people do great… I don’t like to see anyone fail. I like to see my opponents lose against me, but other than that I like to ride that energy that other people bring with success," she added.
"Serena and I are very co-dependent" - Venus Williams
During the same interview with Glamour UK, Venus Williams shed some more light on her relationship with Serena Williams, admitting that the two sisters are highly dependent on each other. Even as children, the duo had a tendency to follow each other, Williams reflected.
"Yeah, Serena and I are very co-dependent. We do the same thing that the other one does. It just goes on and on, it’s an endless cycle – even when we were around eight years old and going like, ‘I want to do it, too!'," Williams said.
Venus Williams herself has not yet stepped away from tennis like her younger sister, but has played just four singles matches this season, without a tour-level victory all year. She returned to singles tennis for the American hardcourt swing and last played at the 2022 US Open, where she also competed in her and sister Serena Williams' final doubles match as a pair.