Roger Federer Pays Tribute To The Williams Sisters

20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer has praised the the ‘longevity and dominance’ of the Williams sisters in a tribute at Indian Wells.

On Monday, Serena and Venus took on each other in what was their 29th meeting on the tour. Resulting in older sister Venus prevailing in straight sets. Both players made their debut at Indian Wells over 20 years ago in 1997. Since then they have established themselves as a formidable force in tennis with 121 WTA titles between them both. Something that impresses world No.1 Federer.

“Longevity and dominance. They showed that. They had a massive arrival on the scene, a lot of buzz around them, and they lived up to the hype. Came out and crushed it.” He said following his third round match.
“From the very beginning, they were very interesting to follow. I think they hardly played any juniors, really, which made it more of a mystery, because you just didn’t know exactly what to expect from them.”

Both Serena and Venus have overcome the threats from injury to continue playing on the tour. Something Federer has also achieved to become the oldest world No.1 earlier this year. Furthermore, Venus has been coping with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune condition she was diagnosed with back in 2011.

“For many years we were worried that they were going to check out early with sickness or injuries. We weren’t sure if they’re going to play as long as we hoped them to play.” Said Federer.
“And here we are. They are both over 35, 36, and still basically playing at the top. Serena being a mom now, Venus overcame a lot of also difficult situations and still playing.”

This year’s BNP Paribas Open saw Serena play her first competitive singles match since the 2017 Australian Open. During her absence, she has given birth to her first child before experiencing medical complications. She suffered from a pulmonary embolism and the stitching from her c-section burst open. Leaving her bed bound for six weeks.

“I think that’s going to be a huge story, maybe the story of the year” Federer commented about Serena’s comeback. “ Hopefully she decides to play a lot and enjoy herself in the process and get back to who knows how high? It almost doesn’t matter, but it would just be amazing to see her do it now.”

At the tournament, Venus will take on Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Federer faces France’s Jeremy Chardy.

Federer Vs the Williams sisters