What a tremendous and well-deserved win for Serena Williams at the French Open on Saturday.
Venus and Serena Williams have certainly put the spotlight on the world of tennis since their arrival in 1994 and 1995 respectively.
They’ve made tennis a hip and very happening sport; certainly adding color to the all White uniforms of yesteryear. I think back to their early start with brightly colored beads bobbing and jangling with each serve and jolt of athleticism under the watchful eye of mom Oracene Price and visionary dad Richard Williams, their coaches.
Venus was ranked number one on three separate occasions and has won 22 Grand Slam titles –seven singles, 13 women’s doubles and two mixed. She has also won four gold medals during her Olympic play –one medal for singles, three medals for women’s doubles. Serena is currently ranked number one.
This would be her sixth times being ranked number one in women’s singles. This year she became the oldest women’s tennis player to become number one. She has won 30 Grand Slam titles (15 singles, 13 women’s doubles, two mixed). She has also won four gold medals during her Olympic play (one medal for singles, three medals for women’s doubles). They dominated the tennis world from 2000 through 2002. Serena continued domination into 2003.
The Williams sisters were then saddled with a series of injuries. Then, Yetunde Price, the sister of Venus and Serena was murdered. Venus was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease—Sjogren’s syndrome. Serena stepped on glass in a Munich restaurant and missed the rest of that year. She later confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma (blood collects outside of blood vessels) and a pulmonary embolism (a main artery in the lung is blocked).
Venus and Serena are definitely on the comeback train even though Venus lost in the first round of this year’s French Open and they pulled out of doubles before playing a match. Venus and Serena are finally getting their due.
New Heritage Films had a limited screening of a Maiken Baird and Michelle Major film called “Venus and Serena” at MIST Harlem. The film highlights their dominance in tennis. Serena Williams played great tennis in the month of May. She beat Maria Sharapova to win the Madrid Open and Victoria Azarenka to win the Italian Open and again defeated Sharapova at the French Open.
June has started out with a bang, as Serena has now won her second French Open Grand Slam overcoming her well documented clay court woes. This Grand Slam win made her the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam and brought her Grand Slam totals up to 31.
Will Serena win at Wimbledon? Serena is playing great tennis.
At the moment Serena is the only one that can beat Serena.
