WATCH: Venus Williams Expresses Frustration at People Who Believe She and Sister Serena Are the Same Person
Though she turned pro and gained popularity first, Venus Williams has had to deal with occasionally being in the shadow of her record-breaking sister, Serena Williams. Their careers are forever linked, as they played in several Grand Slam finals against each other and won 14 women’s doubles titles as partners.
As close as they are and as much as they support one another, sports media hasn’t always treated them as two amazing women with different identities — a narrative that has extended into their retirement plans. In a recent interview, Venus addressed her feelings on constantly being compared to Serena and possibly retiring from tennis.
Sometimes they even think we’re twins,” Venus said. “If you guys did think so, we are two separate people, born on different days.”
When Serena retired in 2022, both fans and media assumed that meant Venus would be hanging up her racket as well. In fact, she’s continued to play, giving fans a few more classic matches. In addition to Serena, many of her contemporaries, both male and female, have recently retired, which has the questions about Venus’ plans getting louder.
“As that moment gets closer, Serena ruined it for me,” Venus joked. “Because as soon as she retired, everybody thought I retired.”
