Serena Williams’ sister Venus Williams has come out in praise of her sibling, stating in a recent interview that she was inspired by Serena even though she was the younger of the two. Venus, a former World No. 1 herself, credited her sibling for showing her that she too could win a Grand Slam title, an achievement she completed as a teenager.
Serena, one year younger to Venus, made her debut on the WTA Tour as a 14-year-old in 1995. Venus, on the other hand, made her debut the previous year, and made her first Slam final in 1997 at the US Open. However, she fell in the final to Martina Hingis and did not win her maiden Major title until 2000. That year, she reigned supreme at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Her sister, though, reached her first Grand Slam final at the 1998 US Open, and won the title on her first attempt, stunning Hingis in the summit clash after taking out defending champ Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and Monica Seles in the quarterfinals.
Speaking to Virgin Radio UK during the promotion of her upcoming book – ‘Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome’ – Venus Williams touched on her relationship with her sister. The seven-time Grand Slam champ was all praise for the younger Williams, stating that she leant a lot from her, even though she often barely spoke a word.
“I had the honour of having great company in Serena and I learned so much from her too because she was younger and she was the first in the family to win a Grand Slam even though I was the first to be on tour,” Venus Williams said.
“I don’t think Serena knew at the time because she was 17 years old and what do you know at that age? But at that age just by her doing something positive and being amazing, she didn’t say a word and her actions spoke loud enough,” she added.
“I learned so much from her just by watching without her even saying a word. By her courage, character and her fearlessness, I said ‘I want that too, that’s how you win a Major’. It’s so interesting that just by doing something positive you don’t even have to say a word you can influence someone else.”
