By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, October 1, 2024Photo credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Serena Williams is aware of the way it feels to share the courtroom with household.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena was pregnant when she beat older sister Venus Williams to win the 2017 Australian Open championship.
Collectively, the Williams sisters received 14 main doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals in doubles.
Nonetheless, Serena says her prime reminiscence of dynamic doubles with Venus isn’t a win, it’s a loss. And never simply any loss.
In a brand new interview with Glamour Serena Williams Debunks Each Tennis Delusion, Serena shares her prime doubles reminiscence: The day Venus misplaced it on courtroom prompting Serena to matches of uncontrollable laughter.
“Clearly successful the Olympic gold [in doubles] 3 times was actually cool,” Serena informed Glamour. “One in every of my greatest recollections in doubles is definitely us shedding and Venus simply shedding her thoughts on the courtroom as a result of she’s so calm.
“And I used to be laughing the entire time. And we misplaced like 4 factors as a result of I couldn’t cease laughing.”
Taking part in beside her older sister was each a blessing and a burden, Serena says.
“Truthfully, I believe for me doubles could have been just a little bit more durable [than singles] as a result of I by no means wished to let my associate down, which was Venus,” mentioned Serena, who additionally partnered James Blake to guide Workforce USA to the Hopman Cup and was a stalwart Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) competitor. “Like in singles, in the event you make a mistake, it’s one factor, it’s on you. However in the event you make a mistake in doubles, it’s like: Oh, I’m letting my associate down.
“That was loads of strain for me as a result of I by no means wished to let her down.”
The Williams Sisters famously pulled off the Verena Slam, sweeping 4 consecutive Grand Slam doubles championships—the 2009 Wimbledon, 2009 US Open, 2010 Australian Open and 2010 Roland Garros—to carry all 4 main doubles crowns concurrently.
Venus and Serena captured 14 main doubles championships collectively, together with six Wimbledon doubles titles.
One cause why they received Wimbledon 4 extra occasions than their residence Slam, the place the sisters received two US Open doubles titles, is easy, says Venus. US Open schedule-makers usually put Williams sisters doubles matches on at evening, which Venus mentioned lowered their relaxation and restoration time for singles.
Consequently, the Williams sisters wound up pulling the plug on US Open doubles.
“We by no means performed as a lot on the US Open,” Venus Williams mentioned on her YouTube channel. “One of many causes was as a result of they’d give us actually troublesome schedules.
“So they’d put us to play an evening match in doubles. After which we’d have to show round—you’re going all the best way to Queens—and again to town. You don’t end till midnight. Flip round subsequent day and need to play a singles match and a doubles match.
“[The US Open] by no means gave us favorable scheduling for doubles. So we by no means acquired to play usually [at the US Open] since you bodily can’t try this….
“Truthfully, the scheduling value us generally in singles and in doubles due to the best way they’d schedule us. So we simply needed to cease taking part in [doubles at the US Open] as a lot.”
Responding to Glamour viewers questions, Serena provides her views on:
*Skirts vs. Shorts
*Why Grunting works
*The off-court locations you’ll see her carrying tennis gear
*Taking part in Wii Tennis
Serena Williams, who obtained a rousing standing ovation from Arthur Ashe Stadium followers on her return to the US Open earlier this month, additionally states her views on tennis vs. pickleball. Serena says most good tennis gamers can turn into good pickleball gamers, however she questions if the reverse is true.
“I don’t play pickleball. However I believe in the event you play good tennis you would most likely play pickleball rather well,” Serena says. “When you do play pickleball, you’re most likely not going to be nearly as good at tennis. As a result of tennis is a unique sport.
“Like you possibly can go from tennis to pickleball. I don’t assume you possibly can essentially go from pickleball to tennis. So positively a fantasy there.”
