"There was basic racism in tennis; What they fought through probably made them great champions" - Rennae Stubbs on Venus and Serena Williams breaking barriers
Serena Williams and Venus Williams' endurance through some of the toughest times in their lives and careers helped them become great champions, believes Rennae Stubbs. The former doubles World No. 1 highlighted the racial discrimination the iconic duo had to face early in their careers.
Stubbs was part of Serena Williams' coaching team at the 2022 US Open, during which the 23-time Grand Slam champion bid farewell to the WTA tour. The former Australian player feels that the Williams sisters were forced to fight through and overcome some traumatic times in the past as they made their foray into the tennis world.
Speaking during a recent episode of the Off The Ball podcast, Stubbs hailed Serena and Venus Williams' resistance and fighting qualities that have played a big role in them earning legendary status.
"What they went through early on in their careers was pretty traumatic in some ways," Rennae Stubbs said. "You know, they weren't accepted by the tennis establishment, there was a lot of pushback on them."
"There was basic racism in tennis. What they fought through probably made them great champions because they had to fight for everything. They had to fight for acceptance and they had to fight for respect."
"She's the only reason Serena Williams ever existed."
#Serena on sister Venus Williams.
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#USOpen https://t.co/8TjcBHhGcO
The Williams sisters felt the need and the desire to keep winning so they could be respected in the sport, believes Stubbs. The six-time Grand Slam doubles champion was happy to see that Serena and Venus Williams were eventually successful in getting the love and respect they deserved.
"They probably felt like they had to win so much just to be respected and accepted. And they were. In the end, you know, they have gotten the love that they deserve because they're both quality people," added Stubbs.
While Serena Williams played her final singles event at the 2022 US Open, the sisters also played their final doubles match together at Flushing Meadows. Their iconic careers in singles tennis often overshadowed their remarkable achievement of having won all 14 Grand Slam doubles finals they played together.
"Her athleticism was incredible, you saw that even at 40, almost 41 years of age" - Rennae Stubbs on Serena Williams
Rennae Stubbs, who has been an active tennis commentator over the years, took on an additional role at the 2022 US Open, that of a coach for Serena Williams. Stubbs watched Williams from close quarters before and during her US Open campaign and believes the American tennis legend still possesses a high level of athleticism around the court.
Stubbs said that the 40-year-old Serena Williams was able to match the speed and agility of her much younger opponents on the court - the likes of Annet Kontaveit and Ajla Tomljanovic.
"Her athleticism around the court was incredible," Stubbs said. "You know you saw that even at 40, almost 41 years of age, with her running around. She was matching it with girls in their 20s who are as fit a tennis player as you get. Someone like Anett Kontaveit and Ajla Tomljanovic. So it was pretty awesome to watch someone at her age still be able to just crank it out, that was quite amazing."
WOW @serenawilliams https://t.co/NecHrd3fh3
Stubbs, who herself played against Williams many times back in the day, revealed that she was always intimated by the enormity and consistency of Serena Williams' serve. Stubbs called it the "greatest weapon in the history of tennis."
"I played against her many times and just the intimidation of her was, it was a lot. But the enormity of her serve. To be able to hit down a 120-plus mile an hour serve regularly is really hard to do. So, you know, Serena's serve will go down as the greatest weapon in the history of tennis, there's no question about that," the former doubles champion stated.