The Williams sisters are the most successful sporting siblings in history, with Serena and Venus both legends of the game.
Serena is the younger of the two sisters and managed to win a staggering 23 Grand Slam titles, with Venus chipping in with seven of her own.
Venus and Serena had many battles against each other on the grandest stages, and the pair remain very close to each other.
It’s fair to say that Venus is only semi-retired after making a comeback in the United States over the last few weeks, much to the delight of her fans.
Back in 1999, Venus failed to set up a final with her sister as she lost to Martina Hingis in the semifinal, facing Serena in the showpiece Flushing Meadows match.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesWhat Bill Clinton told Serena Williams after the US Open in 1999
The president of the United States of America at the time was keen to congratulate Serena on her first Grand Slam victory and it seems he was a big fan.
Speaking in her press conference after being in the winner’s circle for the first time, she was quizzed on the call with Clinton and shared what was said.
Serena said: “It was very exciting. I thought for sure my day couldn’t get any better. The next thing I knew, someone was telling me, ‘The President of the United States wants to talk’, I was just thinking, ‘Wow’.
“He said that they had watched my last three matches and they were really rooting for me, him and Chelsea also. I talked to her also, she’s really nice. It was pretty exciting.”
Few could have predicted Serena’s dominance in 1999
Although Serena always looked destined for big things, it was hard to imagine just how dominant she would be back in 1999.
Winning a Grand Slam so early on always set her up well and it was no surprise that Clinton was taken in by the aura of the younger Williams sister.
To finish her career with 23 Grand Slam titles cements her place as the greatest female player of all-time and it’s hard to imagine anyone on the current tour getting anywhere close to that number.
Williams remains a brilliant ambassador for the game of tennis and is correctly considered the best female player to ever swing a tennis racket.