As the first Grand Slam event of tennis came to a close early Saturday morning, it gives tennis fans high hopes for this year in tennis. The Australian Women's final featured two legendary players who know a lot about each other, because they grew up together. Serena Williams took on her big sister Venus Williams in the Australian Open Final, as many fans around the world appreciated this match -- as this might be the last time we see a Williams sister matchup. With the match being played on ESPN at 3 a.m. Eastern Time early Saturday morning, many had to set that alarm or DVR.
Serena and Venus put the love aside, and went to battle, but it was little sister Serena who came out with the win, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
Sisterly love
As Venus Williams clinched her spot in the final before her sister did, she made it known that it would be great to be able to face her sister in a setting like this one more time. Both sisters are in their mid 30s, and Venus has overcome many injuries in the past few years to even get to this point. As Serena won the match on her first championship point, she and Venus showed nothing but love and respect for each other afterward, explaining that one wouldn't make it here without the other. Venus, who is probably the proudest big sister in the world made it known that she is proud of little sister Serena saying, "Serena Williams ...
that's my little sister, guys," also adding "Your win has always been my win. I think you know that I'm enormously proud of you. You mean the world to me." (ESPN).
Serena gave the love back, saying "I really would like to take this moment to congratulate Venus," she said. "She's an amazing person. There's no way I'd be at 23 without her.
There's no way I'd be at one." (ESPN). The matchup between 36-year-old Venus and 35-year-old Serena was the oldest for a women's major final in the Open era. Serena holds the edge over her sister, posting a 17-11 career record against Venus, with a 7-2 edge in Slam finals. The sisters appreciated the match and the sibling rivalry they had, and now that this might be one of the last times we see a Venus-Serena match, it's safe to say that the Williams sisters are one of the most dominant siblings in sports history.
Serena's greatness
As Serena notches another Grand Slam title, she now moves past Steffi Graf with the 23rd singles title of her career, a record for men and women in the Open era. Serena has been dominant, recapturing her No. 1 ranking again and starting off her year of tennis strong. There was a time in tennis that being in your mid 30s meant you were way over the hill, and that you should be retired, making money doing commercials and things like that, but don't tell Serena. She is 35 years young or as she put it:
"We're both 30-fun, in our mid-30-funs," (ESPN), joking about she and Venus' ages in the final. Serena looks like she isn't slowing down anytime soon, and with her hunger for another major, expect Serena to keep working.
She is still one behind the all-time singles slam leader Margaret Court, who has 24 titles in the Open and amateur eras. With Serena being one of the most dominant female athletes in our time, everything she does from this point on is nothing but gravy.
Serena is the gold standard for female athletes, showing that a girl from Compton can achieve anything as long as you put in the work. She is getting the ultimate congrats from the G.O.A.T. himself, Michael Jordan, so that tells you she is on another level. In a sport where Caucasians are dominant, Serena is paving way for more African-American tennis prospects to make the jump. Serena is truly one of the greatest.
