| Soul Sisters | |
In most families sibling rivalry consists of a few cross words, minor squabbles, and low-casualty battles among loved ones, usually resulting in nothing more than a double time-out. But in the case of the Williams sisters, combat consists of some serious weapons (in the form of Wilson tennis rackets), state-of-the-art artillery (fresh, fuzzy tennis balls), and a designated battleground (a nearby tennis court usually surrounded by thousands of onlookers). And when the battle is on, one would be wise to steer clear of the war zone: 100-mph serves strategically placed, spinning, yellow bombs dropped from every angle, and overhead smashes that are never seen again.
But in the end, after all the aces are thrown, the volleys are punched, and the winners are nailed, the biggest war story of them all is that regardless of the victor, Venus and Serena Williams continue to remain the best of friends. That's right-soul mates, confidants, preferred pals-despite their sisterhood. "Serena and I, we always just got along," says top-ranked Venus Williams of her sister, whom she still lives with. "We don't really have arguments. What can I say? We just like each other. Some siblings aren't the same, though. They don't get along with each other, or they don't like him or her. We've never had that experience. Serena and I just always got along." Encouraged by their parents, Richard and Oracene Williams, to be close friends, Venus and Serena typically do not attend parties or associate with many outside friends. And while their relationship with each other may be solid off the court, you may wonder, Does it ever cause conflicts during the heat of battle on the court? "Sometimes when we're playing," explained Serena to late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien, I think, I wanna win, I wanna win, but she's my sister; but I really wanna win!" For years Venus, 19, typically pulled off win after win over Serena, 17. But recently Serena, who has often been considered the superior player of the two, has retaliated. Although she didn't face Venus directly in the 1999 U.S. Open, she did manage to win the Women's Open title-a victory that her father, Richard, predicted would be battled out by Venus and Serena in the finals. Instead Venus lost in the quarter finals to Martina Hingis. Serena, subsequently, conquered Hingis for the crown-the first Grand Slam win for either sister. Although Venus felt that since she was the elder of the two she should have been the first to win a major title, she certainly has her share of accomplishments. Until this event, Venus was the headliner, ranking as high as fifth in the Women's Open worldwide. She also holds the world record for the fastest female serve-127 mph! Not bad for someone who's barely of legal age. The truth of the matter is that when it comes to the Williams household, home is not only where the heart is, it's where the trophies are. And for as many battles that have been successfully fought on the court, even more have been conquered off the court. For starters, Venus and Serena were raised in south central Los Angeles-an environment more prone to turn out gang members than USTA members. In fact, one time when Venus and Serena were practicing with their father on some nearby graffiti-laden public courts with torn nets and cracked surfaces, they were interrupted by a gunshot. "Someone in front of us just started shooting," Venus later recalled to a reporter. "We dived for cover, except for my sister [Serena]. She started looking around, and we all yelled, 'Get down!'" According to the press, Richard later asked local gang leaders to "cool the fighting" near the courts so Venus and Serena could practice. Fortunately they agreed. And the girls' perseverance paid off. By the time Venus was 10 she had won 63 matches without a loss, earning her the nickname "Ghetto Cinderella." Serena, though 2 years younger, was also improving nicely, winning numerous tournaments in her age bracket. Then during a time when most youth are entering high school, Venus and Serena were embarking on the professional world of women's tennis-two of the very few African-American players to dominate the court. Although tennis has traditionally been considered a "White" sport, the Williams sisters claim they have not experienced any prejudice at all. "It's been great," says Venus. "All the fans seem to be pretty excited, even if I'm not their favorite player. At least I give someone a good match or something when we play. And all the players are out there trying to win, trying to do the best for themselves. And everyone's always friendly to everyone else. In the end it's a competition. And after the competition you go back to regular life." What has also stood out on and off the court is the girls' sense of style, individuality, and strength-qualities that have helped them fight even deeper battles in "regular life." "I'm definitely my own person," explains Venus, who says that she has never had a lot of difficulty battling peer pressure. "I was on my own road doing what I wanted to do. Generally, I just went to school and did what I was supposed to do. If people interrupted a class, it really bothered me." Neither Venus nor Serena has ever smoked. They prefer not to be addicted to a substance like nicotine that would control them. Instead they get their excitement and highs for life in other ways. Venus gets her kicks from shopping and playing the guitar. Serena opts for scary movies and playing the drums. Both have goals to complete college someday when they retire from professional tennis. "I'd like to try other things in my life," says Venus. "I'd like to continue school. I want to have my own fashion business, and things like that. There are a lot of things that I'd like to do that I don't have time to do right now because I'm dedicated to [tennis], but at some point, I'd like to move on with my life." The Williamses say that maintaining goals in life has helped them avoid addictive substances like tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. This philosophy has motivated the girls to help others overcome their challenges as well. Each year Venus and Serena return to their inner-city roots to conduct tennis clinics for youth. While much of the focus is on developing and improving tennis skills, a significant amount of time is spent discussing how to live productive lives. "Sometimes I talk about using your time wisely," explains Venus. "Of course, I talk about things like getting an education or staying off drugs, but sometimes it's important just to talk about, 'What's your plan in life? Do you have goals?' "If you know what you want in life and have standards for yourself, then you should set those. And definitely decide what you want in life. You want to take good care of your body-doing drugs and other things that kids are involved in is dangerous. You have to have goals for yourself. And it depends on how you feel about yourself what you'll do." For now, Venus and Serena continue to battle it out on the courts-against each other and against others. They both say that they would like to continue playing until they're about 25, at which time they might explore other arenas such as fashion design, computer graphics, veterinary, architecture, or maybe together have their own talk show. "I don't feel good if I'm not learning anything," says Serena summing up the sentiments for both sisters. "I just feel like I'm wasting time. I get bored easily. I like to always have something going on." And while their interests may vary over the years, some things will never change for the Williams sisters: their killer instincts, their desire to be actively and passionately involved in a goal, and their commitment to always remain best friends. |
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