American tennis legend Serena Williams recently ended her illustrious career. The 41-year-old retired as, arguably, the greatest tennis player in the modern era. Serena played her last match in the US Open. After losing her third-round match, in an emotional speech, she thanked Venus Williams.
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The elder Williams sister has been a constant companion to Serena. While the two learned tennis together, they also had an intense rivalry. Back in 2018, when Serena lost to Venus, she was unsurprisingly sad and also made some snarky comments. Here’s what happened.
When Serena commented about her sister’s game
The love between Serena and Venus Williams is something that stands out in professional tennis, especially when their titanic battles for the biggest honors in the sport are considered. The way they have maintained their relationship even after being fierce rivals is extraordinary. However, back in 2018, when Serena Williams met her sister in the round of 32 match at Indian Wells, the rivalry between the two got the better of their sisterly bond.
Serenas press conference after loosing to vee at Indian wells 2018 she was pissed 😂
"this is the best she has played in a WHILE" (Vee then just came back from a brilliant season 2017)
"she definitely played better than she normally does today" 😲💀
Rena was not having it 😂 pic.twitter.com/nfJTZRLU3S
— hopefully return in 2023🥺💪🏼 (@VeeSTARWilliams) November 21, 2022
Venus was in great form and easily defeated Serena 6-3, 6-4. Serena addressed the press after the match. When a reporter asked Serena about her sister’s performance in the match, the former world number one replied, “I think this is the best she has played in a while. She did not make many errors, she served consistently. She just did everything great. For her, it was a really good match.”
She further added, “Tonight, everything was good. She definitely played better than she normally does today.”
The comments were actually words of appreciation. However, the way Serena said it made fans believe she was salty after the loss.
The rivalry between Venus and Serena Williams
While Serena ended up as the best tennis player in the Open Era, Venus also has become a legend herself. The legendary sister duo clashed 31 times. Serena enjoys a comfortable lead of 19-12. Out of these, nine matches were Grand Slam finals.
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While Serena won seven of those finals, it shows the sheer dominance of the Williams sisters. Talking about their achievements, Serena Williams has 23 Grand Slam titles to her name and is second only to Margaret Court of Australia on the list of most Grand Slam titles. Meanwhile, Venus has seven major titles.
Watch this story: Four Days After Their Special Date, Alexis Ohanian Pens Down an Emotional Note of Wife Serena Williams
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What is your favorite match of Serena and Venus’ rivalry? Let us know in the comments section.