It is the end of an era. Earlier today, Serena Williams played her last match, bowing out of the 2022 US Open. Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia defeated the American legend in an exhilarating three-hour battle. Serena gave her all but couldn’t overpower her Australian opponent in the third round of the tournament.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion got emotional as she readied herself to give her final post-match on-court interview. She thanked her family and friends for positively impacting her career. During that interview, she had a special mention of her elder sister, Venus Williams.

Serena Williams expresses gratitude to her sister Venus

A teary-eyed Serena thanked Venus Williams for her influence on her career. She said, “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus, so thank you, Venus! She’s the only reason if Serena Williams ever existed.”

Serena and Venus have been one of the greatest sibling athletes tennis has ever seen. Together, they have won an astonishing 30 Grand Slam singles titles.

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Additionally, they also teamed up to play doubles on the WTA Tour. Over their illustrious careers, Serena and Venus won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. Moreover, they also have three Olympic gold medals as a team.

During their childhood days, the Williams sisters practiced together on the public tennis courts in Compton. They worked hard along with their father to carve a niche for themselves in tennis.

On-court rivalry between Serena and Venus

During their careers, the two have faced off against each other on multiple times. Fans looked forward to watching them play against each other. Overall, they have played against each other on 31 occasions. Serena has dominated her rivalry against Venus, prevailing in 19 of those encounters.

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Venus, too, played at this year’s US Open. However, she had a first-round defeat in both singles and doubles with her sister Serena.