For any child growing up the first major rivalry during their formative years would usually be against their sibling. Usually, these rivalries that begin in backyards and bedrooms fade as you get older and strengthen bonds between brothers and sisters.
Top level sport, however, is a less forgiving beast and has served up some remarkable sibling rivalries over the years. For possibly the greatest family battle in sport, look no further than the Williams sisters; Venus and Serena.
The longevity and quality of their fight for sporting supremacy is remarkable.
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They first played each other as professionals in the second round of the Australian Open in 1998, nearly 18 years at the top of the game stretching between that match and their latest head-to-head at Flushing Meadows, New York in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Here, Sport360.com’s resident statistician Mohandas Menon looks at how the sisters have fared against each other in their 27 professional matches to date.
Match by match results
| No | Date | Status | Tournament | Venue | Country | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Jan 1998 | Grand Slam | Australian Open | Melbourne | Australia | Hard | Round 2 | Venus Williams | 7-6 6-1 |
| 2 | 4 May 1998 | WTA World Tour | Campionati Internazionali d’Italia | Rome | Italy | Clay | Quarter-final | Venus Williams | 6-4 6-2 |
| 3 | 15 Mar 1999 | WTA World Tour | Lipton Championships | Key Biscayne, Florida | USA | Hard | Final | Venus Williams | 6-1 4-6 6-4 |
| 4 | 27-Sep-1999 | ITF event | Grand Slam Cup | Munich | Germany | Carpet | Final | Serena Williams | 6-1 3-6 6-3 |
| 5 | 26 Jun 2000 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Semi-final | Venus Williams | 6-2 7-6 |
| 6 | 5 Mar 2001 | WTA Tier 1 | Tennis Masters Series | Indian Wells, California | USA | Hard | Semi-final | Serena Williams | Walk over |
| 7 | 27 Aug 2001 | Grand Slam | US Open | New York | USA | Hard | Final | Venus Williams | 6-2 6-4 |
| 8 | 18 Mar 2002 | WTA Tier 1 | NASDAQ-100 Open | Miami, Florida | USA | Hard | Semi-final | Serena Williams | 6-2 6-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 27 May 2002 | Grand Slam | French Open | Roland Garros, Paris | France | Clay | Final | Serena Williams | 7-5 6-3 |
| 10 | 24 Jun 2002 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Final | Serena Williams | 7-6 6-3 |
| 11 | 26 Aug 2002 | Grand Slam | US Open | New York | USA | Hard | Final | Serena Williams | 6-4 6-3 |
| 12 | 25 Jan 2003 | Grand Slam | Australian Open | Melbourne | Australia | Hard | Final | Serena Williams | 7-6 3-6 6-4 |
| 13 | 5 Jul 2003 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Final | Serena Williams | 4-6 6-4 6-2 |
| 14 | 29 Mar 2005 | WTA Tier 1 | NASDAQ-100 Open | Miami, Florida | USA | Hard | Quarter-final | Venus Williams | 6-1 7-6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 4 Sep 2005 | Grand Slam | US Open | New York | USA | Hard | Round 4 | Venus Williams | 7-6 6-2 |
| 16 | 8 Mar 2008 | WTA Tier 1 | Canara Bank Bangalore Open | Bangalore | India | Hard | Semi-final | Serena Williams | 6-3 3-6 7-6 |
| 17 | 5 Jul 2008 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Final | Venus Williams | 7-5 6-4 |
| 18 | 3 Sep 2008 | Grand Slam | US Open | New York | USA | Hard | Quarter-final | Serena Williams | 7-6 7-6 |
| 19 | 6 Nov 2008 | WTA World Tour | Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships | Doha | Qatar | Hard | Round Robin | Venus Williams | 5-7 6-1 6-0 |
| 20 | 20 Feb 2009 | WTA Premier | Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships | Dubai | UAE | Hard | Semi-final | Venus Williams | 6-1 2-6 7-6 |
| 21 | 2 Apr 2009 | WTA Premier | Sony Ericsson Open | Miami, Florida | USA | Hard | Semi-final | Serena Williams | 6-4 3-6 6-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 4 Jul 2009 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Final | Serena Williams | 7-6 6-2 |
| 23 | 28 Oct 2009 | WTA World Tour | Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships | Doha | Qatar | Hard | Round Robin | Serena Williams | 5-7 6-4 7-6 |
| 24 | 1 Nov 2009 | WTA World Tour | Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships | Doha | Qatar | Hard | Final | Serena Williams | 6-2 7-6 |
| 25 | 6 Apr 2013 | WTA Premier | Family Circle Cup | Charleston, South Carolina | USA | Clay | Semi-final | Serena Williams | 6-1 6-2 |
| 26 | 9 Aug 2014 | WTA Premier | Canadian Open (Rogers Cup) | Montreal | Canada | Hard | Semi-final | Venus Williams | 6-7 6-2 6-3 |
| 27 | 5-Jul-2015 | Grand Slam | Wimbledon Championships | London | England | Grass | Round 4 | Serena Williams | 6-4 6-3 |
Overall career
| Name | Venus Williams | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Country | USA | USA |
| Place of birth | Lynwood, California | Saginaw, Michigan |
| Born | June 17, 1980 | September 26, 1981 |
| Age | 35 years | 33 years |
| Height | 6 ft, 1 in (1.85 m) | 5 ft, 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Turned pro | October 31, 1994 | September 24, 1995 |
| Plays | Right handed | Right handed |
| Career record (Singles) | W693-L189 (79%) | W733-L122 (86%) |
| GS Career record (Singles) | W231-L59 (80%) | W284-L39 (88%) |
| Career titles (Singles) | 46 | 69 |
| Grand Slam titles (Singles) | 7 | 21 |
| In all singles in 2015 | W28-L10 (74%) | W52-L2 (96%) |
Head to head – summary of results
| Venus | Serena | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All matches | 11 | 16 | 27 |
| Actual played | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| Walk over | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Surface | |||
| Hard | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Grass | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Clay | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Carpet | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Stage | |||
| Finals | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| Semi-finals | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Quarter-finals | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Round robin | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Round 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Round 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Margin | |||
| Straight sets | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| Three setters | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Tiebreak | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| Event | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| WTA World Tour | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| WTA Tier 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| WTA Premier | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| ITF Event | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Country | |||
| USA | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| England | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Qatar | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| France | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Germany | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| India | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UAE | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2002 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2003 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2009 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2013 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 | 1 | 1 |