Is there any doubt as to who the greatest sports siblings are now? With their semifinal victories today, Venus and Serena Williams will again meet to decide the Wimbledon Ladies' Champion. In fact, the Williams Sisters may be two of the most underrated athletes of all-time. Just look at their accomplishments:
-17 Grand Slam Singles Titles (10 Serena, 7 Venus... and soon to be 18 after Saturday)
-37 Grand Slam Total Titles including Doubles and Mixed Doubles
-83 Weeks at #1 (72 Serena, 11 Venus)
-5 Gold Medals (2000 & 2008 Doubles, 2000 Singles - Venus)
-Played in 4 Consecutive GS Finals ('02 French - '03 Australian, Serena won all 4)
-Wimbledon 2009 is the 8th GS Final between Serena & Venus
-Wimbledon 2009 will be their 8th Wimbledon title this decade in tennis' premiere event.
What's even more impressive is at 29 and 28 respectively, the Williams Sisters have risen back to the top of a young woman's sport. This is like Joe Montana taking the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, or Michael Jordan winning an NBA title with the Wizards. Don't forget that in the middle of the decade, both sisters dealt with injuries, losses in the family, and fancied off-court interests. Plenty of pundits started the obits for the Williams' careers, but their comeback over the past few years has cemented their legacy as all-time greats.
The numbers dictate that the Williams Sisters are the greatest sister or brother act of all time. The other great sports duos (Mannings, Spinks, Richards, Dimaggios...) fall short when compared to the legacy Serena & Venus have created. The Williamses are set apart because of their accomplishments together and individually. No other athletes have done as much for their sport outside of Tiger Woods this decade. With most of the attention on creating a rivalry, their dad, their outside interests, and their lack of compelling duels, it's been easy to lose sight of just how great Venus & Serena are. Here's hoping their 21st career meeting on July 4th will bring down the house at Wimbledon and give the two sisters a career-defining classic so the sporting public can truly appreciate their greatness.
By the way, as the official older sibling representative here at RSS, I'm picking Venus.
