The Williams sisters are two professional American tennis players: Venus Williams, a
seven-time Grand Slam title winner, and Serena Williams, seventeen-time Grand Slam title
winner, both of whom were coached from an early age by their parents Richard Williams
and Oracene Price.
There is a noted professional rivalry between them – between the 2001 US Open and the
2009 Wimbledon tournaments, they have met in eight Grand Slam singles finals.
They remain very close, often watching each other's matches in support, even after one
of them has been knocked out of a tournament.
Both sisters have had the honor of being ranked by the Women's Tennis Association at the World
No. 1 position.
In 2002, after the French Open, Venus Williams and Serena Williams were ranked No. 1 and
No. 2 respectively.
During the 2010 French Open, they became the co-world no.1 players in women's doubles,
in addition to holding the top two positions in singles tennis as well.
Both players have won four gold medals at the Summer Olympics Games, one each in singles
and three in doubles – which all they won together, the most of any tennis players.
As a duo, they have also completed the Career Golden Slam in doubles.
Doubles: 22
Team competition finals: 1 Performance timelines
Women's doubles To prevent confusion and double counting,
information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation
in the tournament has concluded.
Neither withdrawals nor walkovers are included in wins and losses.
Note: Serena Williams did not play at the 2004 Olympics because of injury.
Venus partnered with American Chanda Rubin and lost in the first-round to eventual gold-medalists
Sun Tiantian and Li Ting.
Boycott of the Indian Wells Masters During the 2001 Tennis Masters Series tournament
in Indian Wells, California, controversy erupted when Venus Williams withdrew four minutes
prior to her semifinal match with her sister Serena.
Serena was subsequently booed during the championship match against Kim Clijsters and during the
trophy presentation.
Neither Williams sister has played this tournament since, in what has been described as the most
famous boycott in modern tennis.
The following day, Serena played Kim Clijsters in the final.
Venus and her father Richard Williams were booed as they made their way to their seats.
Serena was booed intermittently during the final, in which she defeated Clijsters, 4–6,
6–4, 6–2.
Richard accused the crowds at Indian Wells of overt racism, saying, "The white people
at Indian Wells, what they've been wanting to say all along to us finally came out: 'Nigger,
stay away from here, we don't want you here.'
" However, no other reports of verbal racism were reported to tournament officials, although
Venus has stated without elaboration, "I heard what he heard."
Oracene Price accused the crowd of "taking off their hoods."
Effects and criticism Since the initial controversy, neither Williams
sister has played the tournament in Indian Wells.
The Women's Tennis Association currently classifies the Indian Wells tournament as a Premier Mandatory
event for all eligible players.
Exceptions are made when players engage in tournament promotions, but Venus and Serena
have both declined to promote the tournament; Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott agreed
he would not, promotionally, "put them in a position that is going to be awkward," and
tournament director Charlie Pasarell has stated he would accept the WTA tour's ruling.
Allegations had been made before Venus's withdrawal that Richard Williams decided who won the
matches between his daughters.
Those allegations continued and increased as a result of her withdrawal.
Richard has said that racial epithets were used against him and Venus as they sat in
the stands during the final, but no official complaints were recorded by the tournament.
Venus and Serena have been criticized for refusing to discuss the controversy, as some
believe that their silence perpetuates racism.
Serena discusses what happened in her view at Indian Wells in detail in an entire chapter
titled "The Fiery Darts of Indian Wells" in her 2009 autobiography, On the Line.
She says that on the morning of the semifinal, Venus told the tour trainer that she had injured
her knee and didn't think she could play and tried for hours to get approval from the trainer
to withdraw, but the tournament officials kept stalling.
"What got me most of all was that it wasn't just a scattered bunch of boos.
It wasn't coming from just one section.
It was like the whole crowd got together and decided to boo all at once.
The ugliness was just raining down on me, hard.
I didn't know what to do.
Nothing like this had ever happened to me.
What was most surprising about this uproar was the fact that tennis fans are typically
a well-mannered bunch.
They're respectful.
They sit still.
And in Palm Springs, especially, they tended to be pretty well-heeled, too.
But I looked up and all I could see was a sea of rich people—mostly older, mostly
white—standing and booing lustily, like some kind of genteel lynch mob.
I don't mean to use such inflammatory language to describe the scene, but that's really how
it seemed from where I was down on the court.
Like these people were gonna come looking for me after the match.
... There was no mistaking that all of this was meant for me.
I heard the word nigger a couple times, and I knew.
I couldn't believe it.
That's just not something you hear in polite society on that stadium court.
... Just before the start of play, my dad and Venus started walking down the aisle to
the players' box by the side of the court, and everybody turned and started to point
and boo at them.
... It was mostly just a chorus of boos, but I could still hear shouts of 'Nigger!'
here and there.
I even heard one angry voice telling us to go back to Compton.
It was unbelievable.
... We refused to return to Indian Wells.
Even now, all these years later, we continue to boycott the event.
It's become a mandatory tournament on the tour, meaning that the WTA can fine a player
if she doesn't attend.
But I don't care if they fine me a million dollars, I will not play there again."
Best result in Grand Slam singles References
Further reading Edmondson, Jacqueline.
Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography.
Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
ISBN 0-313-33165-0 See also
Williams sisters rivalry