The seven biggest rivalries in women's tennis, part 6: Venus vs. Serena Williams

There has never been a rivalry like this in the history of women's tennis - and there will be no sooner: Part 6 of our series deals with the "Sister Act", the encounters between Venus and Serena Williams .

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When Venus Williams appeared on the WTA tour in the mid-1990s and quickly achieved first results, the real tennis experts whispered unmistakably: Sure, Venus plays tennis sensationally well. But wait until her younger sister appears on the scene. And indeed: The seven Grand Slam successes of the older Miss Williams alone are enough for a Hall of Fame career. Serena has still not given up on Major 24's dream. Why too? In 2019 she was in Wimbledon and at the US Open in the final, but failed due to Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu .

The first three matches in the Sister Act were won by Venus, Serena succeeded for the first time at an event that has long since ceased to exist in this form: at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich's Olympic Hall. Controversy was rarely alien to the encounters between the two sisters, but not in a sporting sense on the court. Rather, it was assumed that father Richard Williams held the reins so tightly in the background that he would have a say in the outcome of the matches . A suspicion that has never been confirmed. However, the impression is correct that Serena and Venus did not fight against only one opponent after a defeat: against their own sister.

Controversy over Venus and Serena in Indian Wells

But who had really started driving in Indian Wells for the first time in 2001. At that time, Venus did not compete against Serena due to an injury in the semifinals, and the audience reacted with racial abuse towards the two sisters. As a consequence, Serena and Venus stayed away from the "fifth major" in the California desert for many years. It wasn't until 2018 that the Sisters met again in Indian Wells, and Venus won their last success against Serena. On the sporty path, 2019 in Rome, the younger retired before the second round encounter with Venus due to injury reasons.

The last major match of importance won Serena: The final of the 2017 Australian Open also marked a turning point in the career of the 23-time major winner. After that, Serena took a pregnancy break. And when she returned, she found that the younger generation around Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu or Sofia Kenin, who had beaten the old champion at the French Open in 2019, had caught up. Still, Serena Williams is still among the top ten in the WTA world rankings. Venus is currently only in 67th place.

Here are the facts

Here are the matches between Serena and Venus Williams