The Williams sisters: how they inspire each other to score in tennis, design & life

Jet, Dec 20, 2004 by Melody K. Hoffman

Tennis champions and sisters Venus and Serena Williams take pride in knowing nothing can come between them. The two are best friends and remain close even though they compete against each other on the tennis court. Instead of getting jealous of each other's accomplishments and allowing envy to change their relationship, the Williams sisters inspire each other to do their best on the court and in life.

"I think the best part about having a sister is that it's very inspiring," the 24-year-old Venus explains to JET. "If I see her do well, or if I see her and she doesn't win a match, I'm always inspired and motivated by her, more than anyone else ever."

Venus and 23-year-old Serena, who are using their story to inspire others in two upcoming books, have made an imprint on sports history. They grew up in Compton, CA, and mastered tennis under the tutelage of their father, Richard Williams. Even as little girls they were taught to watch each other's back and motivate each other when the pressure was on.

Venus was the first one to turn pro at age 14. Though it was Serena who took home the family's first major tournament trophy in 1999 at the U.S. Open, Venus was the first to be ranked the world's No. 1 tennis player, the first Black woman ever to do so.

In 2000, Venus accomplished her goal of winning Wimbledon, the prestigious tournament in London, her first Grand Slam singles title of her career (JET, July 24, 2000). She also won the U.S. Open title the same year and capped off the tremendous season by winning the Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles with her sister.

In 2001 Venus defended her U.S. Open title against her sister (JET, Sept. 24, 2001), the first of six all-Williams finals in Grand Slam tournaments that became known as the "Sister Slam." In the predominantly White sport, it was difficult for many fans to accept two Black girls competing in the finals. Most of the time fans didn't even know for whom to cheer: However, their reluctant chants fell on deaf ears. Even though the Williams sisters didn't have the support of the crowd, they knew they had each other's support and each was rooting for the other to win.

Serena hit her stride in 2002 and began to rack up victories. Serena was absolutely unstoppable, even for Big Sis. Serena beat Venus in four straight major tournaments, becoming the first Black woman to win all four Grand Slam titles in a row, a historic "Serena Slam."

"Venus dominated me for a long time, but we always stayed close. Family comes first," Serena said.

Following her older sister's achievements, Serena won back-to-back Wimbledon titles as well (2002-03), both at Venus' expense (JET, July 21, 2003). But of course this didn't stop the nurturing Venus from taking pride in her sister's feat and telling Serena the proper etiquette of the winner's circle in London so that she could celebrate without embarrassment.

"Playing against each other is great because it's what we dreamed of when we were little, playing in the large tournaments, the biggest tournaments, in the finals against each other," said Venus. "And now, it's kind of culminated into our own Williams' Sisters Tour with McDonald's and really benefiting a wonderful charity, which is Ronald McDonald House. So now it's even gone further than playing in the large finals."

The dynamic duo tore through the ranks of tennis and became the first-ever siblings to be No. 1 and No. 2 in the world (Venus was dethroned by Serena in 2002). Both Venus and Serena experienced a rash of injuries and in their layoffs put more time into designing. The trendsetters said they didn't want to wait until after they stopped playing tennis to start careers in design.

Serena, who doesn't shy away from her style-conscious image and is often seen walking the red carpet, has put a lot of time and creativity into her fashion label.

"I have a clothing line called Aneres, which is my named spelled backwards," Serena explains. "It's still in the process, but we're excited. Aneres is really hot and a lot of people like it; everybody's after it."

The sexy Serena still loves playing tennis, although her passion for fashion is undeniable.

"I'm an unbelievable designer. I don't know how I know and just do these things," she said. "I just start sketching and then I just know the colors and I always know the forecast. I know green and purple are going to be hot. I was born to be a designer. I worked hard to be a tennis player, I don't work hard to be a designer."

Changing the face of tennis, Serena has created an on-court stir over the years with her self-designed, skintight outfits, including a leather-looking "catsuit" she wore at the 2002 U.S. Open. The tennis diva is currently designing her custom apparel collection with Nike.

Venus' flair is a tad less skin-baring than her sister's, but her fabulous creations are just as bold. Venus designs her own line of signature apparel for Wilsons Leather and also collaborated with Reebok and Diane Von Furstenberg to design her own tennis clothing.