“Serena Williams has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness” – Venus Williams on growing up alongside the 23-time Grand Slam champion

Venus Williams recently revealed what it was like growing up alongside her little sister and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Venus Williams, the October cover star for Glamour UK, divulged details about her life with sister Serena, stating that the pair were always co-dependent and had similar desires.

“Yeah, Serena and I are very co-dependent. We do the same thing that the other one does. It just goes on and on, it’s an endless cycle – even when we were around eight years old and going like, ‘I want to do it, too!’,” she said.

The 42-year-old also revealed that their reliance on each other was a motivating factor and the achievements of her recently retired younger sister helped in furthering her self-belief.

“It’s more of a motivation and when I see her doing great, it’s my success. It’s also motivating for me and lets me know I also can do that, and that’s how you have to look at other people’s success,” Williams said.

Venus Williams elaborated on her approach to the success of others. The seven-time Major winner voiced that she learned a great deal from the younger Williams, calling her “the greatest ever”.

“I love seeing people do great. I don’t like to see anyone fail. I like to see my opponents lose against me, but other than that I like to ride that energy that other people bring with success. Serena has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness and that’s what she is – the greatest ever,” she said.

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“We’re telling some fantastic stories” – Venus Williams on teaming up with Serena Williams outside the tennis courts

Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the US Open

With Serena Williams evolving away from tennis and Venus Williams tapering her competitive schedule, the duo have been working on ventures outside the sport. The sisters, who were the executive producers for King Richard, plan to produce more content in the field, as revealed by Venus Williams.

“Yeah, we’re definitely doing more producing. We’re telling some fantastic stories. I think that we found a little bit of our niche, so we want to continue that,” she said.

The older sister also mentioned Serena Williams’ venture capital and praised her sibling for her efforts on the project.

“Other than that Serena’s doing venture capital. I go with her sometimes to conferences, though I’m not going to do venture capital. But I like watching her and everyone’s telling me how amazing she is. People I meet around the world tell me, ‘We invested in your sister’s fund.’ I’m like, ‘I know, I did too!’ So, it’s great to see her come into her own there. I think she's a natural,” she noted.