FOR THE FIRST time since 2009, Venus Williams is in the final of a Grand Slam tournament and it was clear what it meant to her.
Earlier today, in the first of the women’s semi-finals at Melbourne Park, Venus rallied to beat the young American CoCo Vandeweghe in three sets, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3.
It was one of the best matches of the tournament, with two of the more powerful players on tour trading massive groundstrokes and arguably bigger serves.
Vandeweghe, 25, rolled through the reigning Australian Open and French Open champions en route to her first career Grand Slam semifinal, but Venus pulled out the win.
And her reaction told its own story.
As ESPN noted, it’s hard to remember that about six years ago, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that severely affected her ability to train.
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As Serena continued to stake her claim as one of the sport’s best ever, for a long time it looked as though Venus might bow out of tennis altogether.
With the win, Venus is the oldest woman to reach an Australian Open final.
Aaron Favila
Aaron Favila
Aaron Favila
Aaron Favila
“Oh my gosh, it means so much, mostly because she played so well,” Venus said afterwards.
“That moment was just joy. It was a heartfelt match. If the match is 6-2, 6-2, you know, the moment is kind of clear that it’s going to happen. But she played so well. There was never a moment where she wasn’t just hitting the ball amazing and striking the ball with just such precision.”
At her press conference, Venus closed with a wish.
“I would give anything to see [Serena] across the net from me on Saturday,” she said.
Serena, in a cool 50 minutes, made sure that happened.
Kin Cheung
Kin Cheung
“A total inspiration,” Serena said after her 6-2, 6-3 semifinal victory over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. “My big sister, she’s basically my world and my life. I was so happy for her, really. For us both to be in the final is the biggest dream come true for us.”
For Serena, a win on Saturday would give her 23 Grand Slam titles, the most ever in the Open era (she is currently tied with Steffi Graf). Venus, meanwhile, is in search of her eighth.
To put it another way, regardless of which sister wins on Saturday, the Williams sisters will earn their 30th combined Grand Slam title.
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Venus Williams' reaction to making the Australian Open final is amazing to watch
FOR THE FIRST time since 2009, Venus Williams is in the final of a Grand Slam tournament and it was clear what it meant to her.
Earlier today, in the first of the women’s semi-finals at Melbourne Park, Venus rallied to beat the young American CoCo Vandeweghe in three sets, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3.
It was one of the best matches of the tournament, with two of the more powerful players on tour trading massive groundstrokes and arguably bigger serves.
Vandeweghe, 25, rolled through the reigning Australian Open and French Open champions en route to her first career Grand Slam semifinal, but Venus pulled out the win.
And her reaction told its own story.
As ESPN noted, it’s hard to remember that about six years ago, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that severely affected her ability to train.
As Serena continued to stake her claim as one of the sport’s best ever, for a long time it looked as though Venus might bow out of tennis altogether.
With the win, Venus is the oldest woman to reach an Australian Open final.
“Oh my gosh, it means so much, mostly because she played so well,” Venus said afterwards.
“That moment was just joy. It was a heartfelt match. If the match is 6-2, 6-2, you know, the moment is kind of clear that it’s going to happen. But she played so well. There was never a moment where she wasn’t just hitting the ball amazing and striking the ball with just such precision.”
At her press conference, Venus closed with a wish.
“I would give anything to see [Serena] across the net from me on Saturday,” she said.
Serena, in a cool 50 minutes, made sure that happened.
“A total inspiration,” Serena said after her 6-2, 6-3 semifinal victory over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. “My big sister, she’s basically my world and my life. I was so happy for her, really. For us both to be in the final is the biggest dream come true for us.”
For Serena, a win on Saturday would give her 23 Grand Slam titles, the most ever in the Open era (she is currently tied with Steffi Graf). Venus, meanwhile, is in search of her eighth.
To put it another way, regardless of which sister wins on Saturday, the Williams sisters will earn their 30th combined Grand Slam title.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
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australian open like a fine wine Venus Williams