The amazing Williams sisters
By Monica Moorehead
Back in 1884, Lilian and Maud Watson played in the inaugural
women's final of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in England. It
was the first time that sisters had competed against each other
in a major tennis event.
This Sept. 8, 117 years later, Venus Williams, 21, and her
sibling Serena, 19, met in the finals of another grand slam
tournament. Venus defeated her sister 6-4 and 6-1 at the U.S.
Open held in Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. The
women's final, not the men's, was shown in prime time on
CBS-TV--another first.
The youthful Williams sisters reached this historical
pinnacle of their careers after Venus defeated the World Tennis
Association's number two ranked player, Jennifer Capriati, and
Serena defeated the number one ranked player, Martina Hingis,
in the semi-finals. These rankings are based mainly on how many
tournaments each player participates in during the tennis
circuit. Coming into the U.S. Open, Venus and Serena had been
ranked numbers four and 10, respectively.
Since turning professional, they have won 28 major
tournaments, including four grand slam titles. Venus won the
Wimbledon titles in 2000 and 2001, as well as this year's U.S.
Open. Serena won the U.S. Open in 1999.
What makes these achievements so astounding is not that
Venus and Serena are African American, but that they have
overcome institutionalized racism within the U.S. tennis
establishment on the way to such amazing heights. Players like
Hingis and retired players like the virulently anti-communist
Martina Navratilova have made deeply insensitive statements
claiming that the Williams sisters had it "easy" because they
were Black. Richard Williams, their father, has been accused of
playing the "race" card because he criticized the racist
treatment his daughters received from white tennis players and
overwhelmingly white crowds.
While many top tennis players got their start in the world
of country clubs, private tennis courts and high-paid
instructors, Venus and Serena Williams grew up in Compton,
Calif., a poor, urban community outside Los Angeles. They
learned how to play tennis on public courts. Their father was
their only tennis instructor.
That they could rise to the top without being exposed to the
best tennis facilities and instructors money can buy has both
angered and shocked the snobs in the tennis world.
But young women of all nationalities who come from similar
social and economic backgrounds identify with Venus and Serena
Williams and are thrilled at their triumphs.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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