Roland Garros 2002

We are the two Williams sisters

Richard Williams, the authoritarian father with the Stentorian voice, always harboured great ambitions for his five daughters. One is a lawyer, another a dress designer. As for Venus and Serena, they were programmed to become tennis champions since their earliest childhood. Venus, who commenced her professional career at the age of 14, reached her first final three years later at the US open. Serena, one year her junior, did even better by becoming the first Williams sister to win the United States Internationals in 1999. 2002 marked the summit of their domination of the women’s circuit. Their powerful play crushed everyone in their way. A true clean sweep. That year, 2002, Serena Williams achieved an unbelievable Grand Slam. Each time, she met her elder sister in the final! Roland Garros therefore did not miss out on this astonishing series of events. Venus, the elder, the protective sister, had always lost her way when playing against Serena, who is not so sentimental. At the 2002 final, Venus was a total spectator, dragged down by the talent of her little sister who dominated that duel between siblings. What’s more, she even became supportive, when she joined the pack of photographers to take a picture of her sister holding the winner's trophy aloft. Richard Williams, in seventh heaven, looked lovingly at his offspring. In the history of sport, no family has ever been so strong.