Tennis Historian
@HistorianTennis
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Remembering some of the biggest moments in tennis history as well as things you might've forgotten about. Do not claim videos as my own.
Joined September 2020
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Pinned Tweet
In 2006, Venus Williams wrote an essay in 'The Times' titled "Wimbledon has sent me a message: I'm only a second class champion."
Wimbledon then announced equal prize money for women.
Venus won the title in 2007, becoming the 1st women's champ to earn equal to the men's winner
11
724
2K
Virgil Abloh's famous on-court designs for Serena Williams
9
317
2K
Roger Federer and Serena Williams, 2012 Wimbledon Champions’ Ball
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111
2K
A 17-year old Serena Williams tours Paris.
This feature aired during the 1999 French Open.
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250
1K
On this day in 2002, Venus Williams became the first African-American ever to become the
#1
tennis player in the world.
What's your favorite Venus memory?
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224
1K
Serena Williams addresses the Parisian crowd in French after winning the 2013 French Open
It was Serena's 2nd French Open title and first since 2002.
📽️: Eurosport
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1K
Venus and Serena Williams played in the 1st US Open women's final to be put in prime-time in 2001
The interest of the Williams sisters playing each other in a major final for the first time was so great, it drew 22.7 million viewers on CBS
📸: Ezra Shaw/Allsport
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156
1K
Serena Williams gets "Punk'd" by Ashton Kutcher
This episode aired on March 20, 2005
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1K
In 2000, Venus Williams went on a 35-match win streak that saw her win 6 titles in a row. It remains the longest win streak on the WTA in the 21st century.
Those titles include:
-Wimbledon
-Stanford
-San Diego
-Connecticut
-US Open
-Olympic Gold
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Wimbledon 1981:
Reporters brawl in the press room after the Men's SFs in which McEnroe walked out after being questioned about his personal life
According to the New York Times, the fight involved Nigel Clark with The Daily Mirror & Charlie Steiner of RKO Radio
🎥: ITN Archive
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231
977
The 2000 Wimbledon women's final saw a break in tradition, as it was the 1st Wimbledon final where the two finalists were interviewed on court after the match
Venus Williams won her 1st major title, defeating defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final
🎥: Vintage Tennis
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Venus Williams takes a picture of her sister Serena Williams after their 2003 Wimbledon Final
Serena defended her title, beating Venus for the 2nd consecutive year. It was the 4th consecutive year a Williams left as the Women's Singles Champion.
📸: Mike Egerton/EMPICS
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Venus and Serena Williams are known for their singles success, but they're also one of the most formidable doubles teams in history.
Together, they've won 14 majors (with a 14-0 finals record) & 3 Olympic gold medals
-4 Australian Opens
-2 French Opens
-6 Wimbledons
-2 US Opens
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The pre-match pageantry of the 2001 US Open women's final between Venus and Serena
It had so much hype that it became the 1st women's final to be put in primetime
The match rated higher than the Notre Dame-Nebraska football game airing at the same time
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788
2013 Doha Women's QF:
(2)Serena Williams def. (7)Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
With the win, Serena rose to the world
#1
ranking for the first time since surviving a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in 2011.
She would keep the top ranking all the way through September 2016.
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Serena Williams thanks her sister Venus Williams for her impact on her career and the sport of tennis after the 2017 Australian Open final:
"She's my inspiration. She's the only reason I'm standing here today, and the only reason that the Williams Sisters exist."
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Happy 41st birthday to the great Venus Williams!
From teen prodigy to major champion to a global sports icon, our sport wouldn’t be the same without her!
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Crandon Park Tennis Center
Key Biscayne, Florida
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This
#USOpen
marks the 20th anniversary of Venus and Serena’s run to their 1st major final against each other.
With both missing this year’s tournament, feels appropriate to bring back the hype their first final brought to New York and the sports world.
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Serena Williams, French Open 2004
📸: JACK GUEZ/AFP
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At Wimbledon 2010, Venus Williams debuted a dress inspired by Tina Turner.
"She's just an amazing, amazing artist, just a survivor. She reinvented herself. Plus she looks great. I've loved her forever. So the dress is really inspired by her."
📸: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
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Richard Williams and Venus Williams appear on a 1995 episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
#BlackHistoryMonth
🎥: OWN
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Andy Murray and Serena Williams, 2016 Wimbledon Champions Ball
📸: Bob Martin/AELTC
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Roger Federer after beating Rafael Nadal to win 2009 Madrid
📸: Sportige
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2008 Wimbledon Women's Doubles Final:
(11)Venus Williams/Serena Williams def. (16)Lisa Raymond/Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-2
This was the 3rd of the Williamses 6 Wimbledon doubles titles
All 6 times, one of them also won the singles. 3 of those times, they played each other in the final
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The pre-match pageantry of the 2001 US Open women's final between Venus and Serena Williams
So much hype surrounded this match that it became the 1st women's final to be put in primetime
The match rated higher than the Notre Dame-Nebraska football game airing at the same time
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132
431
2007 Wimbledon 4th Round:
(7)Serena Williams def. (10)Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-2
A dramatic match that saw Serena collapse to the ground on Centre Court after suffering a sudden left calf injury.
Narration by Dick Enberg and Mary Joe Fernandez of ESPN
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2015 Australian Open Women's Final:
(1)Serena Williams def. (2)Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6(5)
The title was Serena's 6th in Australia & her 19th singles major
This was the 4th and last major final these two played against each other. It was also the last major final for Sharapova
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Venus Williams takes a picture of sister Serena & their mother Oracene at the 2002 Wimbledon Champions' Ball
Serena beat Venus, the 2-time defending champion, in the final for her 1st Wimbledon singles title
They also won the women's doubles title together
📸: Clive Brunskill
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Roger Federer and Andy Roddick competing in the 2009 Wimbledon final
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Serena Williams finished her US Open career with a 108-15 singles record at the tournament.
118 of her 123 US Open matches were played on Arthur Ashe Stadium. She finished with a 103-15 record on that court.
Serena is a 6-time US Open singles champion.
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2009 Australian Open Final:
(2)Serena Williams def. (3)Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3
Serena captured her 4th Australian Open singles title and joined the double digit slam club with her 10th major.
With the win, Serena reclaimed the world
#1
ranking
🎥: JOTennisVid
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2000 US Open Women's SF:
(3)Venus Williams def. (2)Martina Hingis 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
In this all-time classic, Venus recovered from 3-5, 15-30 down in the final set to win. It was her 2nd time reaching the US Open final in 4 appearances in NY.
It was Venus' 25th win in a row.
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SportsCenter's report of Venus Williams' first professional match at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic
Report done by Jimmy Roberts
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Rafael Nadal carrying the flag for Spain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games
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Rafael Nadal, 2008 Wimbledon Semifinal
📸: Ian Walton/Getty Images
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On this 1st day of
#BlackHistoryMonth
, we honor all the black tennis players who have broken countless barriers and made our sport forever better.
-Althea Gibson
-Arthur Ashe
-Yannick Noah
-Zina Garrison
-Venus Williams
-Serena Williams
and so many more. Thank you!
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20 years ago:
Serena Williams and Justine Henin-Hardenne clashed in the French Open SF
The infamous "hand incident" made headlines around the world and created one of the biggest rivalries of this era.
Henin's win ended Serena's 33-match win streak in majors
🎥: Roland-Garros
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1998 Sydney Women's QF:
(Q)Serena Williams def. (2)Lindsay Davenport 1-6, 7-5, 7-5
Serena rallied from 1-6, 2-5, 15-40 down to win.
16 years old and ranked
#96
, it was the best win of Serena's career at that point and already her 3rd win over a top 10 player.
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2009 WTA YEC RR:
(2)Serena Williams def. (7)Venus Williams 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4)
With the win and Safina's WD, Serena officially claimed the YE
#1
ranking. She saved a match point in the 3rd set.
Both advanced from the Maroon group and met again in the final, also won by Serena.
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2005 Barcelona Final:
(8)Rafael Nadal def. Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-3
Nadal captured the 1st of his 12 titles in Barcelona.
With the title, Nadal entered the top 10 for the 1st time. His ranking would be
#7
after the win.
Ferrero won Barcelona in 2001.
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Venus and Serena Williams, Eastbourne 1998
📸: John Marsh/EMPICS
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Anna Kournikova, Rihanna, and Rafael Nadal at Arthur Ashe Kids' Day 2005
📸: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
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The speeches from Venus and Serena Williams after the 2003 Australian Open women's final.
Serena won her 4th consecutive major, famously dubbed the "Serena Slam." She beat Venus in the final of all four of those majors.
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2012 Wimbledon Women's QF:
(6)Serena Williams def. (4)Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5
These two were the champions of the last 3 Wimbledons, with Kvitova being the defending champion
Serena would go on to win the tournament, her 5th Wimbledon and 14th major singles title
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Venus Williams appears on "Larry King Live" after winning her 5th Wimbledon singles title
This episode aired on July 16, 2008
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“Tennis whites are boring unless it’s Wimbledon, where it’s classy.” -Serena Williams
This quote is in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. Serena’s fashion has always been a topic of conversation all over the world.
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Serena Williams and David Letterman play tennis on 53rd Street to promote the 2014 US Open
Air Date: August 21st, 2014
🎥: Letterman
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Venus and Serena Williams are the only women to meet in 4 straight major finals
They played every final between the 2002 French Open and 2003 Australian Open.
Serena won all 4, giving her the famous "Serena Slam."
She'd win 4 straight again from 2014 US Open-2015 Wimbledon
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2008 French Open Women's SF:
(2)Ana Ivanovic def. (3)Jelena Janković 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
They both were playing in their 2nd straight French Open SF. Ivanovic would go on to win the title.
The two Serbians only played twice at a major with Ivanovic winning both meetings.
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2008 US Open Women's QF:
(4)Serena Williams def. (7)Venus Williams 7-6(6), 7-6(7)
Serena saved a total of 10 set points between the two sets (2 in the 1st, 8 in the 2nd) and would go on to win the title
This is regarded by many to be the best match between the Williams sisters
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2013 Rome Women's Final:
(1)Serena Williams def. (3)Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3
Serena won Rome for the 2nd time. She lost just 14 games in the tournament & no set went past 6-3.
After winning Charleston & Madrid, she'd also win in Paris & finish the season undefeated on clay.
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In 2002, the French Open faced criticism for putting all 4 women's QFs on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The matches featured were:
Capriati vs Dokic
Serena vs Pierce
Suarez vs Fernandez
Venus vs Seles
Since Lenglen opened in 1994, only 2 women's QFs had been put on Chatrier.
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2008 Queen's Club SF:
(1)Rafael Nadal def. (3)Andy Roddick 7-5, 6-4
Nadal advanced to his 1st Queen's Club final. He won the French Open just days earlier.
Roddick, the defending champion, had won the tournament 4 of the previous 5 years.
🎥: ThoskaBrah
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Serena Williams is interviewed after defeating Corina Morariu in the 1st round of the 2002 US Open
On this night, Serena debuted her original all-black catsuit
The catsuit made headlines across the world and is known as one of the most famous tennis outfits of all-time
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2005 Australian Open Women's Final:
(7)Serena Williams def. (1)Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
Serena won the last 9 games of the match to win her 7th major title. It was her 2nd in Australia.
She beat 3 of the top 4 seeds. With the win, Serena rose to
#2
in the world rankings
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2014 French Open Women's SF:
(7)Maria Sharapova def. (18)Eugenie Bouchard 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Sharapova was making her 4th consecutive appearance in a French Open SF. She would go on to win the title for a 2nd time.
This is the only time Bouchard has gone past the 3rd round in Paris
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2005 French Open 1st Round:
(4)Rafael Nadal def. Lars Burgsmuller 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1
This was Nadal's debut at Roland Garros, the start of one of sport's most remarkable records. The match was played on Court One.
After retirement, Burgsmuller became a radiologist.
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270
2002 US Open 1st Round:
Serena Williams debuts her original all-black catsuit
The catsuit made headlines across the world and is known as one of the most famous tennis outfits of all-time
This was her 1st US Open as top-seed and world
#1
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2001 Miami Women's Final:
(3)Venus Williams def. (4)Jennifer Capriati 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
This was the 3rd Miami title for Venus & she saved an incredible 8 championship points to win it
This was the closest Capriati ever came to beating Venus, as she was 0-4 lifetime against her
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2007 Montreal Final:
(3)Novak Djokovic def. (1)Roger Federer 7-6(2), 2-6, 7-6(2)
With the win, Djokovic became the first man to beat the top 3 players in the world in the same event since Boris Becker at 1994 Stockholm.
He beat Roddick in the QFs and Nadal in the SFs.
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2002 Antwerp Final:
(1)Venus Williams def. (2)Justine Henin 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
Venus won her 3rd title of the season & secured the
#1
ranking for the 1st time.
She officially took the top spot on February 25, 2002.
The crowd of 12,000 gave her a standing ovation after the match.
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Mary Carillo interviews Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2002 as she discusses her hopes of winning Wimbledon some day
The interview was shot before the tournament and aired during her QF vs Hantuchova
🎥: mountgirl1
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2009 Wimbledon Women's Final:
(2)Serena Williams def. (3)Venus Williams 7-6(3), 6-2
Serena captured her 3rd Wimbledon singles title & 11th major. It was the 2nd time she stopped Venus from achieving a Wimbledon "3-peat."
This was the 4th all-Williams singles final at Wimbledon
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218
2005 US Open Women's 3R:
Sania Mirza def. Marion Bartoli 7-6(4), 6-4
Mirza is the highest-ranked woman ever from India. She reached
#27
in 2007
Injury derailed her singles career, but she became one of the world's best in doubles. She's won 3 doubles majors & 3 majors in mixed
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2000 Wimbledon 1st Round:
(5)Venus Williams def. Květa Hrdličková 6-3, 6-1
Played on Court 2, this was the start of Venus' journey to her 1st major title.
It was also the start of her historic 35-match win streak that would last until October.
📽️: Tennis Rewind Collection
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Ashleigh Barty becomes the 3rd Australian woman in the Open Era to win the Wimbledon singles title.
She joins Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong as Wimbledon champions.
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1998 Australian Open Women's 1st Round:
16-year old Serena Williams def. (6)Irina Spîrlea 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1
This was Serena's debut match at a major, played on what we now know as Rod Laver Arena
She would lose in the 2nd round to her sister Venus Williams
🎥: JOTennisVid
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2009 Wimbledon Women's SF:
(3)Venus Williams def. (1)Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0
The match lasted 51 minutes & was Venus' 20th consecutive win at Wimbledon
Safina would only play 5 more majors in her career, never reaching another QF
This was also her last appearance at Wimbledon
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32
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2013 US Open Women's QF:
(1)Serena Williams def. (18)Carla Suárez Navarro 6-0, 6-0
Serena has delivered 7 double bagels in her career and 4 of them have come at a major
Suárez Navarro is a 7-time major quarterfinalist
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2006 Warsaw 2nd Round:
(7)Venus Williams def. Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Playing for the 1st time since 2002 Hamburg, Venus recovered from 4-6, 0-3 down to win.
It was her 10th and final win over Hingis.
🎥: Tennis Highlights
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Venus Williams interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show after winning the 2001 US Open
Air Date: September 10th, 2001
🎥: AneresEleVen
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Ramanathan Krishnan of India and his wife Lalitha walk to practice at Wimbledon the week before the tournament
Krishnan was the
#7
seed at that year's tournament and would make it to his first major SF
📸: William Vanderson/Fox Photos
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2001 Toronto Final:
(4)Serena Williams def. (1)Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3
Serena ended a 4-match losing streak to Capriati and got her 2nd win in 6 matches. She would win the next 7 matches in their rivalry.
This was Serena's 2nd title of 2001 & the 10th of her career.
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31
187
2012 London Olympic Games Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match:
Venus Williams/Serena Williams (USA) def. (4)Andrea Hlaváčková/Lucie Hradecká (CZE) 6-4, 6-4
This was the Williams sisters 3rd gold medal in women's doubles in 3 Olympic appearances. It was the 4th total for both.
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2002 Tokyo Final:
(1)Serena Williams def. (3)Kim Clijsters 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Serena won her 7th title of the season and won 32 of her last 33 matches.
Serena improved to 5-0 vs Clijsters, who dropped to 1-2 in finals in 2002.
📽️: The Tennis DC
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32
184
2015 French Open Women's Final:
(1)Serena Williams def. (13)Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2
Serena, battling the flu during the tourney, became the 2nd woman in the Open Era to win 20 major singles titles. It was her 3rd French Open
This was Safarova's only major singles final
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37
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2012 WTA YEC Final:
(3)Serena Williams def. (2)Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3
Serena finished with her 7th title of the season, which included Wimbledon, the US Open, and Olympic Gold.
It was her 3rd WTA Finals win.
Both players won their group with 3-0 records.
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Rafael Nadal celebrates after advancing to the 2013 French Open final
📸: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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With “King Richard” being nominated for Best Picture at the
#Oscars
, a look back at SportsCenter's report of Venus Williams' first professional match at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic
Report done by Jimmy Roberts
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2012 Stuttgart Women's QF:
(2)Maria Sharapova def. (5)Sam Stosur 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5
In a match that lasted 3 hours, Sharapova saved a match point in the 2nd set and would go on to win the title.
It was Sharapova's 10th win over Stosur in 11 meetings.
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23
164
Tracy Austin, Chris Evert, and Martina Navratilova appear on Good Morning America on March 20, 1979
They were promoting the Avon Championships at Madison Square Garden where the winner would earn $100,000 in prize money
@thetracyaustin
@Martina
@ChrissieEvert
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13
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2017 Wimbledon Women's 3rd Round:
(10)Venus Williams def. Naomi Osaka 7-6(3), 6-4
Venus advanced to the Wimbledon Round of 16 for the 15th time.
This was Osaka's first time playing a Williams sister.
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165
Today’s Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Final is just the 5th of the 21st century to not feature at least one of the Williams sisters.
The other four:
2006: Mauresmo def. Henin-Hardenne
2011: Kvitova def. Sharapova
2013: Bartoli def. Lisicki
2014: Kvitova def. Bouchard
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60
160
2001 US Open Women's 4th Round:
(4)Venus Williams def. (18)Sandrine Testud 6-4, 6-0
Venus would win the title, beating 5 seeds in the process.
She wouldn't drop a set in the tournament and no set went past 6-4
Testud's career-high was
#9
in February 2000
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23
163
2002 Wimbledon Women's SF:
(2)Serena Williams def. (9)Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1
With the win, Serena became world
#1
for the 1st time in her career, taking the top spot from her sister Venus
Serena would beat Venus in the final 2 days later for her 1st Wimbledon singles title
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41
155
Serena Williams appears on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" to preview Wimbledon 2007
This episode aired on June 22, 2007
🎥: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
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16
155
2002 Miami Women's QF:
(8)Serena Williams def. (3)Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-0
Serena got her 3rd straight win over Hingis and 2nd of that year. The match lasted just 59 minutes.
This was the 13th and final match between the two with Serena winning the H2H 7-6.
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21
154
2004 Beijing Final:
(1)Serena Williams def. (2)Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Serena saved a match point at 4-5 in the 2nd set to win her 25th singles title.
The loss ended Kuznetsova's 14-match winning streak that included the US Open title.
🎥: TheMsharapova8
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23
152
2009 Beijing Women's 2nd Round:
Maria Sharapova def. (9)Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5
This was the 3rd meeting between the two and Sharapova's 2nd straight win.
Azarenka served for the match twice, at 5-2 and 5-4 in the third set.
1
20
149
2011 Eastbourne 1R:
(WC)Serena Williams def. Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Serena was playing for the 1st time since winning Wimbledon 2010, after overcoming a foot injury & surviving a pulmonary embolism.
It was her 1st Wimbledon warmup since 1998.
🎥: Tennis Highlights
6
27
148
2013 WTA YEC Semifinal:
(1)Serena Williams def. (7)Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Serena went undefeated in the Red Group while Jankovic was 2nd in the White Group (1-2 record).
It was Serena's 14th consecutive win at the YEC in which she competed.
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