Thirty-one matches, nine Grand Slam finals, four of them in a row, and one brand on both rackets. The rivalry of the 2000s, and the frames behind it.
Venus and Serena Williams met 31 times between 1998 and 2020, and Serena won 19 of them. In finals Serena leads 9–3, and at the majors 11–5. They contested nine major finals, starting with the 2001 US Open, the first final between siblings in the Open Era, and from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open they played four in a row, all won by Serena.
The Rackets
Wilson (both sisters) — they started on Yonex frames and both switched to Wilson in 1998, and stayed with the brand. Wilson’s own records list Serena’s racket in the 2002 French Open final as a Hyper Hammer 6.3 OS 110, in the 2002 Wimbledon and US Open finals as a Hyper Hammer 6.2 OS 110, and in the 2003 Wimbledon final as an H6 Hyper Hammer OS 110.
By the 2008 US Open she was on the K Factor K Blade Team 104, the frame Wilson lists for her 2009 Wimbledon final too. Her 2007 Australian Open title came with a blacked-out prototype, Wilson’s transition to the Blade. She stayed on a 104 square inch Blade until 2020, when she changed to the Blade SW102, which she helped design.
The Strings
Serena played a full bed of Wilson natural gut until 2012, when she changed to the hybrid she kept for the rest of her career: gut in the mains and Luxilon in the crosses, at around 63–65 pounds. That means the 2008 and 2009 finals against Venus were both played on full natural gut. Gut never really left.
The Ball
The Wimbledon finals of 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009 were played with a yellow ball. Wimbledon had given up white in 1986. Here is the story of how white disappeared.
Nine Finals
2001 US Open: Venus won 6–2, 6–4.
2002 French Open: Serena won 7–5, 6–3.
2002 Wimbledon: Serena won 7–6, 6–3.
2002 US Open: Serena won 6–4, 6–3.
2003 Australian Open: Serena won 7–6, 3–6, 6–4, completing her first “Serena Slam”.
2003 Wimbledon: Serena won 4–6, 6–4, 6–2.
2008 Wimbledon: Venus won 7–5, 6–4.
2009 Wimbledon: Serena won 7–6, 6–2.
2017 Australian Open: Serena won 6–4, 6–4.
The Verdict
Serena leads 19–12 overall and 7–2 in Grand Slam finals. Venus won two of the nine, the 2001 US Open and the 2008 Wimbledon. The best match may not have been a final: the 2008 US Open quarterfinal, won by Serena 7–6, 7–6, was named the best women’s match of that year.
On the record: Serena, 19–12.
On Grand Slam finals: Serena, 7–2.
Want to play the game the way they saw it? Join the waiting list for The White Ball, or get the free collector’s guide to start your own racket collection.
— The Editor, Court Privée
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