Over the past two decades, Venus and Serena Williams have woven a true fairy tale story in the modern era, a journey where the two sisters have held hands to countless victories and glory.
In the annals of sports history, the Williams sisters stand as the most successful pair of athletes and the most impressive in the minds of the audience.
There are many stories of sibling pairs who have achieved fame in their sporting careers, and behind those stories are always lessons about history, perseverance, and noble sacrifice. But in the modern stream, Venus and Serena Williams stand alone, unique for whatever reason.
Perhaps they were born in the era of mass media, competing in a sport that ranks second only to football in popularity, yet above all, the Williams sisters brought a completely different perspective to sports, changing the public's perception of people of color dominating a game traditionally associated with the aristocracy. Roger Federer once said that the presence of Venus and Serena is a guarantee of success for any tournament. Because the audience is curious, and because the audience has become accustomed to the standards set by the sisters for the tennis world over the past 20 years.
Venus and Serena together share 30 individual Grand Slam titles, accounting for 37% of the total Grand Slam titles since 1997, when they began to conquer the pinnacle of the sport. If combined in doubles, their achievements include 14 Grand Slam titles, and remember, those 14 "shared" titles were won after only 19 times of standing on the same side of the court. The total prize money of the two sisters has reached $130 million, and that figure will not stop growing as they approach their forties, both still diligently training and challenging their limits.
Venus and Serena simply shattered all barriers and conventions entrenched in tennis over the decades. Before them, the last time a woman of color won a Grand Slam event was... half a century ago, in 1958 when Althea Gibson won the US Open.
The story of the Williams sisters began on public tennis courts, where the government opened outdoor spaces for community activities. Of course, those places were not ideal playgrounds for pursuing professional sports. Serena still vividly remembers the feeling of hitting balls while "inhaling" the smell of marijuana wafting from the bushes on either side of the court. To be precise, places "for the masses" like parks, sports fields, were associated with crime rather than athletes. There were no supportive tools, even the net was hand-knitted by their mother, and Venus and Serena only had their father as motivation and support. At the same time, just a 10-minute drive away, Nick Bollettieri was charging millions of dollars a year from wealthy students who wanted to try their hand at the world's most prestigious tennis academy.
But Venus and Serena are not Cinderellas; they do not carry the message of a fairy tale story about overcoming adversity. When interviewed by CNN in 2004, Venus said that as soon as she earned her first money, she and her sister thought about reinvesting, enhancing the scientific aspect of competition to develop a long-term career. They care about details, no matter how small, like the tension of the racket strings, the wrist bandages. "When it's determined you're a professional tennis player, everyone is equal, everyone is the same," Serena told The Washington Post in 2013.
Starting a tennis career during the wild west era and continuing to survive with resilience when the game transitioned to endurance challenges, Venus and Serena embody timeless values, defying time. With 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena has shattered Steffi Graf's record, and notably, 10 out of the 23 titles she conquered after turning 30. As for Venus, who turned 41 three months ago, she declared, "I want to play until I'm 45."