Venus and Serena Williams have long been one of sport’s most iconic sibling stories, rising from their humble beginnings in Compton under the guidance of their father to become two of the biggest names in tennis history. Serena, with 23 Grand Slam titles, is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.
But despite the shared success, Serena recently opened up about the emotional toll of competing against her sister. Speaking to Time Magazine, which included her among the 100 most influential people of 2025, she reflected on the challenges of sibling rivalry in elite sports.
“Is there ever healthy competition in kids? I don’t know if I have any advice on building a healthy competition,” she said. “Just put them in different sports.” While Serena described growing up with Venus as “fun” and like “always having a best friend,” she admitted that playing against her sister brought mixed emotions.
“It is the weirdest, craziest, creepiest, like, feeling ever when you want someone to win and then you also want them to lose,” she said. “Then, it’s your sister, and you’re like rooting for them to lose and it’s just… it doesn’t feel good in your soul. It’s hard.”
Serena and Venus talk during a changeover in the 2022 US Open ( Elsa/Getty Images)
Between 1998 and 2020, the sisters met 31 times on the professional tour, with Serena leading the head-to-head 19–12. Yet beyond the rivalry, their partnership redefined the sport, both on and off the court, as they also became two of the highest-paid tennis players.
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Venus and Serena’s rivalry and titles in doubles
Both sisters reached the world No. 1 ranking in singles during their careers, and they are the only sisters to do so. Venus first ascended to the top spot in February 2002 and held it for a total of 11 weeks. Serena, meanwhile, first claimed the No. 1 ranking in July 2002 and went on to spend 316 weeks at the top.
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From the 2002 French Open through the 2003 Australian Open, the Williams sisters made history as the only women in the Open Era to meet in four consecutive Grand Slam finals. Serena won all four matches.
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Despite their rivalry on the singles court, the sisters have remained close and formed one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history. Together, they captured 22 titles, including 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns and three Olympic gold medals.
