End Of An Era: Thank You Venus & Serena Williams, Legends Of Women’s Tennis

Last night was a bittersweet moment for Tennis fans around the world. The credits have rolled and the curtains have closed on the final chapter of Sister Act featuring Venus and Serena Williams.

The sisters took a hard defeat against Czech duo Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova. The first set went to a tiebreak, with Hradecka and Noskova winning it 7-5, and they finished off the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. This will most likely be the last time we see Venus and Serena take the court together, unless in the near future, Venus can convince her sister to join her in doubles again.

As the sisters grabbed their things and exited the court they received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The Williams Sisters Legacy

Venus and Serena Williams were born 15 months apart in Compton, California. Their father, Richard Williams, had watched the women’s singles finals of the 1978 French Open and heard that the winner, Virginia Ruzici, earned $40,000 in prize money. That struck a nerve in him and he decided right then and there that he and his wife, Oracene, needed to birth two daughters. These two daughters turned out to be world-class tennis players!

Prior to this year’s competition, the Williams sisters have won a whopping 14 doubles Grand Slam titles together in the past. Their most recent win was at the US Open in 2009, and 13 years later, they decided to go for another doubles title.Individually, Venus, 42, has won seven titles while Serena, 40, has 23 to her name.

The Power of Sisterhood

As a little sister myself, I understand the importance of having a role model to look up to and follow after. All little sisters copy after their big sibling and want so badly to feel accepted. Venus was the blueprint for Serena and if we’re being honest, there would be no Serena without Venus. Despite the years of competing against one another and receiving backlash from the Tennis community and media, they preserved and always put sisterhood and family first. They demonstrated the power of sisterhood and how black women need one another to succeed. They proved that there’s room for all of us to be champions and to authentically and unapologetically let our black girl magic shine no matter what.

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What’s Next

Serena will continue on in the tournament in the women’s singles. Tonight at 7PM she takes on Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović in the third round of the women’s singles tournament. After the US Open Serena will evolve into a new chapter of her life.

Venus lost earlier in the tournament in the women’s singles but her career in tennis isn’t quite over yet. She told reporters when she’s ready to retire “she’ll whisper it in their ear.”