Serena Williams’ ‘Biggest Fan’ Venus Williams Never Tried to Influence Her Sporting Decisions

Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams have received the wild cards for doubles at Wimbledon. The winners of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles last played together at the 2022 US Open, where their run ended in the first round.

And in singles in the same tournament, Serena, after her defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, called time on her career. She announced her comeback before the grass swing this season and competed at the Queen’s Club Championships alongside Victoria Mboko in doubles.

Although they won their first match, Mboko’s injury in her singles match forced them to withdraw from their second-round match. After the Queen’s, Serena played doubles with Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open and lost in the first round.

Venus and Serena will lock horns with Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in the first round at Wimbledon. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, during her interview with Grazia, said her sister was still the best in the world when she retired for the first time at the 2022 US Open.

I always let her make her own decisions. Even when she stopped playing the first time, she was still the best in the world. And she still has the potential and capabilities to compete if she really wants to do it. I’m just there to support her, observe what happens, and be her biggest fan.

Serena will lock horns with Maya Joint in the first round of Wimbledon, where she last won her singles title in 2016. She could meet defending champion Iga Swiatek if they both progress to the third round. Swiatek double-bagaled Amanda Anisimova in the final of the grass-court Major last year.

The six-time Major champion has never played the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion. Serena last won a singles title at the 2020 ASB Classic by defeating Jessica Pegula, and last won a Grand Slam doubles title at the 2016 Wimbledon alongside Venus.

Venus Williams shares her thoughts on retirement

Venus Williams, due to physical setbacks, remained on the sidelines after her exit at the 2024 Miami Open. She made her comeback in last year’s Citi Open and featured in two more events. But this season, she has competed in quite a few tournaments, including at the Australian Open.

During her interview with Grazia, Venus, when asked about the possibility of retiring, said she is not at all thinking of ending her career in the near future.

Now I think less about ambition and more about having a goal, a dream, working hard, and overcoming all the difficulties and failures that come along the way to eventually reach the goal.

Venus, a five-time singles champion at SW19, did not get a wild card for singles for this Wimbledon. In her last singles match, the 46-year-old lost to Irina-Camelia Begu in the opening round of the Bad Homburg Open. She also played doubles alongside Alexandra Eala and lost to Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova.

Roger Federer won approximately 53% of all the points he played throughout his career. We are talking about someone who won more than twenty Grand Slams and barely won half of the points he played. Failure is a huge part of success. It all depends on how you interpret it. There are tennis players with a lot of talent whose past ends up becoming their future and also their prison.

Venus Williams added

Venus last clinched a singles title at the 2016 Taiwan Open, and last played a singles final at the 2017 WTA Finals. In last year’s US Open, Venus and her doubles partner Katerina Siniakova lost in the quarterfinals. But in this year’s Australian Open, Venus and her partner, Ekaterina Alexandrova, fell in the first round.

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