Venus and Serena Williams Abigail Adams Susan B. Anthony Tyra Banks Clara Barton Hillary Rodham Clinton Marie Curie Ellen DeGeneres Diana, Princess of Wales Helen Keller Sandra Day O’Connor Georgia O’Keeffe Nancy Pelosi Rachael Ray Eleanor Roosevelt Martha Stewart Venus and Serena Williams Venus and Serena Williams ATHlETES Anne M. Todd Venus and serena Williams Copyright © 2009 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data Todd, Anne M. Venus and Serena Williams : athletes / by Anne M. Todd. p. cm. — (Women of achievement) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-461-2 (hardcover) 1. Williams, Venus, 1980—Juvenile literature. 2. Williams, Serena, 1981—Juve- nile literature. 3. Tennis players—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 4. African American women tennis players—Biography—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. GV994.A1T64 2009 796.3420922—dc22 [B] 2009000322 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Series design by Erik Lindstrom Cover design by Ben Peterson and Alicia Post Printed in the United States of America Bang EJB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. Contents 1 Williams vs. Williams 7 2 Growing Up on the Courts 10 3 Going Professional 25 4 Rising in the Ranks 41 5 Making Dreams Come true 61 6 Keeping the Balance 72 7 A new outlook 88 8 Looking Forward 102 Chronology 105 Notes 108 Bibliography 115 Further Resources 122 Index 124 About the Author 128 Picture Credits 128 1 Williams vs. Williams The year was 2008. The event was the U.S. Open, one of the most important tennis tournaments of the year. On this late-summer day, the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City was abuzz. They were about to watch what might have been the most entertaining match between ten- nis superstars—and sisters—to date: the quarterfinal match between Venus Williams and Serena Williams. When the sisters walked onto the court with their tennis rackets in hand, all eyes were on them. Venus, 28 years old and standing 6-foot-1, dressed in all black, has long arms and legs, a lean body, and a look of fierce determination. At the time, Venus was ranked seventh in the world. Serena, Venus’s younger sister by 15 months, dressed in all red, is slightly shorter—standing 5-foot-11—and has a more   • Venus and serena Williams Serena Williams, right, shakes hands with her sister Venus Williams, after Serena wins their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on September 3, 2008. muscular figure, but she shares the same determination in her eyes. She was ranked fourth in the world. The stakes were high. If Serena won, she would have a chance to regain her No. 1 ranking as the top women’s • Williams vs. Williams  tennis player in the world. If Venus won, she would have a chance to win another Grand Slam title. Over their long tennis careers, the two sisters had met 16 times, with each winning eight matches. Despite this even record, past matches between the sisters were often lackluster. Their feelings for each other would sometimes prevent them from playing their best tennis. That was not the case on this evening, as the match fea- tured spectacular points and dramatic shifts in momentum. Venus took leads in both sets, holding two set points in the first and a remarkable eight set points in the second. (A set point occurs when the player who is leading needs one more point to win the set.) Serena chased down shot after shot to hold off Venus and come back in both sets. She ended up winning in two tiebreakers, 7-6, 7-6. Only two months before the U.S. Open, the sisters had faced each other at another important tournament—Wimbledon; in that face- off, Venus had won. But today was Serena’s victory: She would move on, and Venus’s U.S. Open was finished. Venus would later tell an interviewer, “I’m a very good closer. I’ve never had a match like that in my life. I guess there’s always a first. [Serena] just played a little better.”1 Serena had been surprised by Venus’s errors, many of which came on those set points, so Serena considered herself lucky. Although happy for her own success, Serena could feel for her sister. She said, “I try not to look at [Venus] because I might start feeling bad. I want the best for her. I love her so much. She’s my best friend.”2