Serena Williams stated back in 2000 that many did not want a Grand Slam final between her and her sister Venus.
Serena Williams won her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open and entered the following year’s edition at the hardcourt Major as among the favorites to win. Seeded fifth, she reached the quarterfinals of the tournament without dropping a single set before losing 6-4, 6-2 to second seed Lindsay Davenport.
Williams was told in her post-match press conference that both Davenport and Martina Navratilova did not want a Grand Slam final between her and her sister Venus Williams. When asked if she found that surprising, the then-teenager claimed that she didn’t, stating that while a Major final between the two sisters was inevitable, many did not want that to happen.
Williams also claimed that the reason behind this was that everyone did not quite like her and her sister.
“That’s the way a lot of people would want it,” she said. “I’m sure a lot of people never want to see an all-Williams final. It’s going to happen in the future inevitably. Nobody’s going to be able to stop it. Unfortunately, I didn’t pull my end up this year.”
She added:
“I’m sure in the next Grand Slam, the Australian Open, Wimbledon or the French, the US Open, I’m going to do my utmost to make sure it happens, make sure it happens because that’s just what I would like. Obviously, no one would want to see an all-Williams final because everyone doesn’t really like us. That’s just the way it is.”
While Serena Williams did not reach the US Open final, Venus Williams went on to win the tournament by beating Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5 in the final.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams squared off in 9 Grand Slam finals
The Williams sisters after the 2017 Australian Open final
The Williams sisters after the 2017 Australian Open final
Serena and Venus Williams faced each other in a Grand Slam final on nine occasions, with the former winning seven of those.
The first occurence of this came at the 2001 US Open, when the older Williams sister won 6-2, 6-4. The following year, they faced each other in three Major finals, with Serena Williams coming out on top on each occasion.
Apart from the 2001 US Open final, Venus Williams also beat her sister in the title clash at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. The last Major final between the two came at the 2017 Australian Open, with Serena Williams winning 6-4, 6-4 to clinch her 23rd and last Grand Slam singles title.
