"Tennis lasts for 10-20 years, but family lasts forever" - Serena Williams on how she and sister Venus have stayed close despite intense on-court rivalry
On a recent episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Serena Williams spoke about the importance of family and how she and sister Venus have remained very close despite competing against one another for so many years.
Serena pointed out that while tennis is just a sport, family ties last forever. According to the American, adopting such an approach allowed her to easily move on from defeats to her sister.
"We still are extremely spiritual people and have a great base of faith, and we know that we have so much to look forward to," Serena said. "We also know that at the end of the day, like, tennis lasts for 10-20 years, but family lasts forever.
"Even when I'm playing my sister, I always think: 'Okay this is just for this moment, this is just for this day, and even if we're emotional about it for a couple of days later, she is always going to be my flesh and blood and nothing else is going to ever come between that.' And so it's really important for us to feel that and why so much just kind of rolls off our shoulders, and we just go with it."
The Greatest Of All Time, Serena Jameka Williams, looking good!
Interview tonight w/ Trevor Noah on the Daily Show. https://t.co/OWdfLBTnuA
Venus and Serena faced each other on 31 occasions, with the younger sister leading the head-to-head 19-12. The duo have locked horns in Grand Slam finals nine times, including four in a row in 2002-2003. Serena won seven of those contests, while Venus emerged victorious in the 2001 US Open and the 2008 Wimbledon.
"When I see Will Smith, I'm like 'Hey Dad'" - Serena Williams
During the interview, Williams was also asked about Will Smith playing the role of her father Richard Williams in the film King Richard. The 40-year-old said that while it was initially weird to see Smith portray her father on screen, she has gotten used to it with time.
"You know, it was, it definitely was (weird seeing Will Smith portray her father). I've gotten so used to it now, when I see him, I'm like, 'Hey Dad.' But in the beginning it was definitely weird because it was just weird," she said.
"But he did such a great job of just becoming Richard Williams to a point where it was actually like I was looking at my Dad and remembering those moments when we were together and when we were younger. And it's really amazing, everything he did in that film," the American added.
King Richard has been nominated for multiple Oscars and Will Smith is a heavy favorite to win the Best Actor award. He recently won the Screen Actors Guild award for his performance.