Sibling Dedication > Sibling Rivalry

The greatest sibling story in the history of sports belongs to the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus. January 28 the sisters faced off in the Australian Open final, which was the twelfth final the two battled against each other.

Victor Mather and Nailia-Jean Meyers of the New York Times ran an article that covered the last eight final matches between Serena and Venus from 2001 to 2009. Since 2001, Serena has won 22 Grand Slam singles, while Venus has only won six, and Serena won six out of the eight matches between them, so the title headlined that Venus was a “distinct underdog” of the 2017 rematch.

Venus embraces Serena following the 2017 Australian Open final.

Credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

After Venus defeated her younger sister to claim the 2001 U.S. Open, she said, “I always want Serena to win. It’s strange. I’m the bigger sister. I’m the one who takes care of her. I make sure she has everything even if I don’t. I love her. It’s hard.”

The competition and respect in the relationship between the Williams sisters shows that even on the greatest stage of tennis, family is still important.

“There’s no way I would have anything without [Venus]. She’s my inspiration. She’s the only reason I’m standing here today, and the only reason that the Williams sisters exist,” said Serena during the post-game ceremony. “So thank you, Venus, for inspiring me to be the best player I could be and inspiring me to work hard. Every time you won this week, I felt like I’ve got to win, too.”

Serena went on to win the 2017 rematch and both sisters credited how important having their sister’s support has been to their success over the years. 

“Congratulations, Serena, on No. 23,” Venus said. “Your win has always been my win. I think you know that. And all the times I couldn’t be there, wouldn’t be there, didn’t get there, you were there. I’m enormously proud of you. You mean the world to me.”

Similarly, writer Ellen Umansky highlights how her parents’ divorce brought her closer to her brother. In her article, The Secret to Sibling Success, Umansky mentioned a young mother that asked her brother, Eric, how the siblings are so close even at an older age. Jokingly, Eric said, “You and your husband should separate, then go through an ugly divorce. That’ll bring your kids together.”

Sports and tragedies have a lot in common in how they can easily tear apart a family over a loss or miscommunication, or they can strengthen the relationships exponentially through dedication and teamwork.