‘I’ve never seen her so down’ – Young Serena Williams gets emotional as she wins Maiden Grand Slam title ahead of sister Venus

The Williams sisters have written their names on many important tennis records. Venus and Serena Williams debuted in the late 1990s and dominated women’s tennis, as did veterans Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. They regularly reached the final rounds in almost all major tournaments. In fact, they faced each other several times in the finals.

Moreover, the few times one of them suffered a disappointing loss, the other fought with more determination. One such memorable moment happened in 1999.

Serena Williams avenges Venus

Venus was considered the next big thing in women’s tennis when the sisters debuted. She outclassed Serena to win the Lipton Championship in Florida, placing one place higher than her sister. However, she fell short at their home Grand Slam, the US Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion had to leave the event in the semifinals.

However, her withdrawal boosted the will of the younger sister as she won the US Open, her first Grand Slam title. After her triumph, Serena he said, “I think if anything it will motivate Venus.

“She was up there supporting me. After I lost my first two match points, I looked over—not at my mom or dad, I saw them too—but I saw Venus there, really making sure to pump me up. It really helped me.” she added. The now 23-time Grand Slam champion won her first ever Grand Slam title that season, defeating Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6.

DIVE DEEPER

Afterwards, Williams admitted, “Venus was really down after the match with Martina. I’ve never seen her down like this before. That encouraged us to be even tougher out there today.” After her semi-final defeat, Venus rebounded the next year to claim two consecutive US Open titles.

What’s next for the Williams sisters?

Both Serena and Venus returned to grass after almost a year off the circuit. Despite failing to live up to fans’ expectations and exiting the prestigious tournament in the opening rounds, the duo seemed optimistic about the upcoming season on the hard court.

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While Venus entered only for the Canadian Masters, the seven-time Wimbledon champion decided to play two WTA 1000 tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati to prepare for the US Open.