Serena Willams’ journey in tennis has been nothing short of fierce battles and competitive fire. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who has tackled 423 matches in her career, has won 367 of them! Be it playing against her sister, Venus Williams, or other top rivals, the 42-year-old former tennis pro has weathered all storms on-court. Now, as she reflects on her two-decade-long career, Williams is nothing but grateful to all her on-court rivals for helping her elevate her game.
Serena Williams recently appeared for a post-screen Q&A session after the premiere of her upcoming docuseries. The former World No. 1’s eight-part docuseries In the Arena: Serena Williams tells the story of her triumphs and challenges, shedding light on her remarkable pathway to success. A short clip of that interview session has surfaced on X, where she shared her insightful comments on how she and sister Venus faced intense competition from their WTA rivals.
“Listen you gotta win. It was like, they literally wanted to take us down. It’s a sport it’s a game. What do you expect? They want you to win? But I think that the fact that they played us so much harder than they played each other was the reason why we were so much better,” said the American. Further explaining the reasons, Williams added, “Because at some point, playing, giving your best every single time and fighting so hard when it’s just you and they go lighter on the next person makes you better.”
Although both sisters played against a lot of WTA players, the notable ones among them are Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Jennifer Capriati, and Martina Hingis. While Davenport, with her powerful groundstrokes, gave Williams a hard time, Serena fought back and won 10 times against her with her skills on-court. Justine Hennin, a former World No. 1, was also not an exception in this regard.
With her one-handed backhand approach, the Belgian tennis pro challenged the power game of Serena Williams. However, Williams persisted and ultimately acquired a lead over her by 8-6. Not to forget, Jennifer Capriati as well, whose resurgence during the early 2000s added another layer of competition for the Williams sisters. But Williams’ power did not waver, as she went on to achieve 10/17 victories against her as well.
Last but not least, even against the Swiss tennis pro, Martina Hingis, Williams’ finesse proved to be useful as she ended up with a 7-6 lead over her. According to Serena Williams, “If I did not have that target on my back, if it wasn’t for them, I would never be me.” Apart from playing against the top players in the world, Serena Williams, who retired in 2022, also once revealed how playing against her sister brings out the “best” in her.
Serena Williams reveals how playing with her sister pushed her to be a better player
Serena Williams and Venus Williams have together achieved a total of 30 Grand Slams. On-court, they encountered each other 31 times! Interestingly, Serena Williams has won 19 times among them. However, according to the 42-year-old former player, “The best part is (that) we bring out the best in each other.”
Illustrating her point, she added, “I know when I play her, I have to play some of my best tennis. She does, too. I feel like throughout our career, we have pushed each other to be the best that we can be and be Venus and Serena Williams.” Both the sisters have stayed at the top of the sport for several weeks, but when it came to battling against each other, the Williams sisters gave their best.
