Williams sisters facts for kids

Venus and Serena

	Venus	Serena
Highest singles  ranking:	No. 1 (February 25, 2002)	No. 1 (July 8, 2002)
Highest doubles  ranking:	No. 1 (June 7, 2010)	No. 1 (June 7, 2010)
Women's singles titles:	49	73
Women's doubles titles:	22	23
Grand Slam Women's singles titles:	7 (Wimbledon 2000/01/05/07/08, US Open 2000/01)	23 (Aus Open 2003/05/07/09/10/15/17, French Open 2002/13/15, Wimbledon 2002/03/09/10/12/15/16, US Open 1999/2002/08/12/13/14)
Grand Slam Women's doubles titles:	14 (Aus Open 2001/03/09/10, French Open 1999/2010, Wimbledon 2000/02/08/09/12/16, US Open 1999/2009)	14 (Aus Open 2001/03/09/10, French Open 1999/2010, Wimbledon 2000/02/08/09/12/16, US Open 1999/2009)
Grand Slam mixed doubles titles:	2 (Aus Open 1998, French Open 1998)	2 (Wimbledon 1998, US Open 1998)
Summer Olympics Singles titles:	Gold (Sydney 2000)	Gold (London 2012)
Summer Olympics Doubles titles:	Gold (Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, London 2012)	Gold (Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, London 2012)
Fed Cup titles:	1 (1999)	1 (1999)
Plays:	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career Earnings:	$42,280,540 (2nd)	$94,518,971 (1st)

The Williams sisters are two amazing American tennis players: Venus Williams (born in 1980) and Serena Williams (born in 1981). They are sisters who became professional tennis stars. Both were taught how to play tennis from a young age by their parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price.

Tennis was once a sport mostly played by certain groups of people. Many clubs did not allow women to join. The Williams sisters, who are African American, became very successful in this sport. They helped make tennis popular for many different people around the world.

Top Tennis Players: Venus and Serena's Rankings

Both Venus and Serena have been ranked as the world's No. 1 tennis players. This happened in both singles (playing alone) and doubles (playing with a partner). In 2002, after the French Open, Venus was No. 1 and Serena was No. 2 in singles. This was the first time in history that two sisters held the top two spots!

They did it again in 2010. Serena was No. 1 and Venus was No. 2. At that time, Serena was almost 29, and Venus had just turned 30.

Sister vs. Sister: Their Friendly Rivalry

Venus and Serena often played against each other in big singles tournaments. Between 2001 and 2017, they played in nine major finals. They were the first two players, male or female, to play in four major singles finals in a row. This was from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open. Serena won all four of these matches.

Even though they competed against each other, they are very close. They often watched each other's matches to show support. They even cheered each other on after one of them had lost in a tournament.

Winning Together: Doubles and Olympic Gold

The Williams sisters are also champions in doubles. In 2001, they won the Australian Open doubles title. This made them one of only a few pairs to win all four major Grand Slam doubles titles in their careers. They also became the first pair to win a "career Golden Slam" in doubles. This means they won all four major titles plus an Olympic gold medal.

Venus and Serena were only 20 and 19 years old when they achieved this. They later won two more Olympic gold medals in doubles. These were at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2010, they were ranked as the No. 1 doubles players in the world. Their last major doubles title was at Wimbledon in 2016.

Olympic Achievements: More Gold Medals

Both Venus and Serena have won four gold medals at the Olympics. Each won one in singles. They won three more together in doubles. This is more than any other tennis players! Venus also won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Together, they have won the "double career Golden Slam" in doubles. This means they won all four major titles and Olympic gold twice. Between them, they have won all four major events in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. They shared the four mixed doubles titles in 1998.

A Difficult Time: The Indian Wells Tournament

In 2001, something difficult happened at the Indian Wells tournament in California. Venus Williams had to pull out of her semifinal match against Serena because of a knee injury.

The next day, Serena played in the final match. When their father, Richard Williams, and Venus walked to their seats, some people in the crowd booed them. Serena was also booed during her match, which she won. The booing continued during the awards ceremony.

After this event, neither Venus nor Serena played at the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years. This tournament is a very important event in tennis. The sisters decided not to promote the tournament or play in it for a long time.

Serena wrote about what happened at Indian Wells in her 2009 book, On the Line. She explained that Venus was injured and tried to get permission to withdraw from the match. Serena felt that the crowd's reaction was very harsh and upsetting.

However, in 2015, Serena Williams decided to return to Indian Wells. She wrote about it in Time magazine. She played her first match and won, but then had to withdraw from her semifinal due to a knee injury. In 2016, Venus also returned to play at Indian Wells for the first time in 15 years.

Grand Slam Singles Success (Combined)

(W) Won tournament: final contested by the Williams sisters.

Year-End Rankings: How They Finished Each Season

See Also

• Williams sisters rivalry