Serena Williams sends love to sister Venus as the latter celebrates 30th anniversary of her professional tennis debut

Serena Williams expressed her love and admiration for her elder sister Venus as the latter celebrated the 30th anniversary of her professional tennis debut. Venus Williams made her professional tennis debut in October 1994, when she was just 14 years old.

Venus Williams made her debut at the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, where she received a wildcard entry. Despite her young age, she quickly made her presence known by defeating compatriot Shaun Stafford in straight sets before losing to the top seed and eventual champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the following round.

Reflecting on this significant milestone, Venus Williams took to social media on October 31, 2024, and shared a couple of nostalgic images from her first professional match, where she could be seen competing on the court and signing autographs for fans.

"30 years ago today, I stepped on the court for my pro debut!"; "When you come to play, come to change the game," Venus Williams wrote.

Serena Williams reshared Venus's post on her Instagram story and reacted with a couple of heart emojis.

"💞💞"

Serena Williams' Instagram story/@serenawilliams

---

"Sisters are so special" - Serena Williams opens up about her 'codependent' bond with sister Venus

Serena Willams and Venus Williams (Image source: Getty)

Serena Williams shared insights into her deep connection with her sister, Venus, during an interview with Glamour published on September 30 this year. The former reflected on how meaningful it was to have Venus by her side on tour, describing tennis as a “lonely” sport.

Serena Williams revealed that she and Venus even lived together up until the birth of her eldest daughter, Olympia.

"I mean, I grew up with girls. I’d honestly never been around boys unless I was dating one. And sisters are so special. Some things never change. I don’t even want to not be codependent with her [Venus Williams]. I love her. I don’t want our lives to ever be separate," Williams said.

"Tennis is so lonely. You’re on the road for 10 or 11 months out of the year. You really rely on having someone else out there. And Venus was there, and who else was going to relate to me? We were successful, and we were Black . We leaned on each other. We lived together . We lived together until a year before I had Olympia, so literally our whole lives," she added.

Serena Williams retired from the professional tour in September 2022, while her sister Venus remains active. The 44-year-old has appeared in only two matches this season, both through wildcard entries at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The current World No. 966 faced first-round exits in both events, losing to Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino at Indian Wells and Russia's Diana Shnaider in Miami.