"I couldn't imagine that, I don't think she could either" - When Serena Williams spoke on relationship with sister Venus being affected due to tennis

Serena Williams once explained how she and her sister Venus never let their tennis rivalry affect their relationship.

The Williams sisters dominated the sport during their prime. Venus was ranked World No. 1 for 11 weeks, while Serena spent 319 weeks at the top. They share a whopping 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them and have won 14 doubles titles together, with a perfect 14-0 record in the finals.

When it comes to their head-to-head record, Serena holds a 19-12 advantage over her sister. They are also the only female tennis players in the Open Era who have faced each other in four Major finals in a row (from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open), with Serena winning all four.

Serena Williams faced Venus in the final of the 1999 Lipton Championships (now The Miami Masters) and lost in three sets. The 23-time Grand Slam champion later made it clear during the post-match press conference that their relationship would remain unaffected by their tennis rivalry.

"I can't necessarily say that our relationship is going to be affected by tennis. We have a strong background, we're Jehovah's Witnesses, we really believe that family comes first, not a game that's going to last ten years at the most. I don't know if I'm going to be playing ten years. It can last," Serena said.

Serena further emphasized that she couldn't imagine the sport coming between her and Venus and expressed confidence that her sister felt the same way.

"Why would I want that to become between someone who has always been around, always been a very special friend for me. I couldn't imagine that. I definitely don't think she could either. I don't think, no matter how many times we play each other, I could never say that it would affect my relationship with Venus," Serena said.

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Serena Williams played doubles with her sister Venus at her farewell in US Open 2022

The Williams sisters pictured at the 2022 US Open

Serena Williams bid adieu to tennis in 2022 after enjoying an illustrious career that spanned over two decades, during which she won an impressive total of 39 Grand Slam titles (23 singles, 14 doubles and two mixed doubles), among other achievements.

Williams faced a third-round exit in her final professional tournament at the US Open, falling to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in three sets. She had secured victories against Danka Kovinic and Anett Kontaveit in the previous two rounds.

The American also teamed up with her sister Venus to play doubles together. However, their campaign was halted abruptly in the opening round as they suffered a straight-sets defeat against the Czech pair of Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.