How Serena and Venus Williams changed women’s tennis for ever

As Serena Williams stood two wins away from one of the ultimate achievements in her sport, it all seemed to be falling apart. For 10 months between 2002 and 2003, she had established a level of dominance not seen since the greats of the previous century. On a warm January night in Melbourne, though, she was on the brink of a crushing defeat, trailing Kim Clijsters 1-5 in the third set of their 2003 Australian Open semi-final.

But Williams had won three grand slam tournaments in a row for a reason. This was a time when she seemed almost unbeatable in the biggest moments. Defeat was one mistake away, but she eradicated all unforced errors from her game as Clijsters cowered. Williams saved two match points, she won six games in a row and then she held off her sister, Venus, in their fourth successive grand slam final to seal the “Serena Slam”.

It was a classic Serena Williams moment, scrapping until the death, a mentality that has defined her career and driven her success. “Until you’re shaking hands with them, they do not think they’re going to lose,” laughs Mary Carillo, the former doubles champion turned broadcaster. “They really don’t believe it. And that, I think, was a thing that the other players in the locker room really felt: ‘You can have a set and a break lead on me, but do you really think you’re going to beat me?’”

With constant demonstrations of her physical and mental fortitude, Williams changed the face of the sport alongside her sister, setting the bar in the sky and forcing the world to try to keep up.

For much of the early years of the Williams story, the younger sister was an afterthought. Venus had entered the storm first, validating the endless hype in her debut at 14 years old, nearly beating Arantxa