"If Richard danced in front of me I'd have hit him" - When Martina Navratilova slammed Venus & Serena Williams' father for US Open celebration

Martina Navratilova once criticized Serena Williams and Venus Williams' father Richard for his celebration after the latter won the 2000 US Open.

Venus Williams won her second Grand Slam title at the tournament by beating compatriot Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5. After the match, her father celebrated by dancing.

Martina Navratilova said in an interview in 2001 that she would have hit Richard father had he done the same in front of her after she lost to one of his daughters. The Czech-American also proclaimed that what he did was "horrible" and had no place in tennis or any other sport.

"If Richard Williams had danced in front of me after I lost to one of his daughters in a match, I probably would have hit him. What he did at the U.S. Open was absolutely horrible. It has no place in sports or in tennis," Navratilova said.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams have faced each other in 12 finals

Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the US Open

Serena Williams and Venus Williams faced each other on 31 occasions, 12 of which came in finals. The latter won nine of these while the former came out on top in three.

The first title clash between the two took place at the 1999 Miami Open, with Venus Williams winning in a three-setter. Serena beat her sister in the final of that year's Grand Slam Cup, triumphing 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

The first Grand Slam final between them took place at the 2001 US Open, with Venus Williams winning in straight sets. Serena Williams then went on to win five successive Major finals until her sister beat her in the title clash at Wimbledon in 2008 to win her fifth title at the grass-court Major.

After this, the two sisters played three Grand Slam title clashes and Serena came out on top in each fixture. This included the 2009 Wimbledon final and 2017 Australian Open final, the latter of which was the last title clash between the two.

The sisters last faced each other in the Round of 16 of the 2020 Top Seed Open, with Serena winning in three sets.

Serena Williams retired from tennis in 2022 after that year's US Open, where she reached the third round before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic. Venus Williams is still playing and competed in a few tournaments in 2023, including two Grand Slams. Her best performance was reaching the second round of three WTA 250 tournaments.