Words are truly insufficient to describe the significance and impact of the William Sisters in the world of tennis.
Serena Williams is widely considered the greatest female tennis player of all time, with an open era record 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Her older sister Venus has been a force in her own right with 7 grand slam singles titles. The sisters also have an additional 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. and multiple mixed double and Olympic Gold and other medals.
There was a time when you started the conversation by noting their accomplishments in relation to the firsts that were happening in a sport not previously noted for African American achievement. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe were the pioneers. What the Williams sisters have achieved individually and collectively has been transcendent for the sport. Race is rarely ever mentioned any more. They have changed the physicality of the game for all women and along the way several African American women have followed making their way in to the top of the rankings.
Their impact is very similar to the effect that Tiger Woods had on golfing during his historic run. Ratings for tennis were up (often surpassing the men) when one or both of the William sisters was in contention for a title run. Besides the racial element the Williams sisters were also pioneers for both speaking out and eventually achieving equal pay for women related to men at the Majors.
Their longevity has been awe inspiring in a sport where most players, at the top, are considered past their prime at 30. The woman Serena just passed for the open record slam titles, Steffi Graf, never one a major past the age of 29. Serena just won her 10th major past the page of 30 and barring some physical issue, is not poised to be done anytime soon.
At 36 and a year older, Venus’ story is equally amazing. In 2011 she was diagnosed with Sjogren syndrome , an autoimmune disease that was so debilitating that most thought she was done with competitive tennis forever. After several years she continued to fight back and her appearance in the Australian Open finals made them two of the oldest female finalists in history. Though she lost, she is presently the #11 ranked female player in the world, trailing not far behind her top ranked sister.
Their achievements on the court are too numerous to mention here. They changed the game and the face of what we had previously considered the exclusive sport of the country club set. Instead the Compton reared duo, initially lead by an irrepressible father, showed several new generations that preconceived limitations and prejudices were only a restriction if you allowed them to be.
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