Serena Williams’ remarkable career begins countdown towards a New York finale

With the imminent end of Serena Williams’ career comes the time to reflect on not just one of the most successful but one of the most important figures in tennis history.

The emergence and subsequent dominance of Williams and sister Venus forced tennis to confront, not always willingly, its attitudes to race and strong women.

There has never been a tennis champion like Williams, and there may never be again. The 40-year-old, who is expected to hang up her racket after the US Open later this month, is the owner of 23 grand slam singles titles, the most in the Open era, and 39 slam titles overall.

That she has achieved such success despite serious health problems, struggles with fitness and motivation and, most significantly, a year-long break to have her first child, makes her story all the more remarkable.

It is a story that has often been told but perhaps is still undersold. Tennis is very familiar with the narrative of the driven parent seeing the lucrative possibilities in a tennis career for their offspring but no one has done it better than Richard Williams.

And it is to the credit of all three of them that they remain close despite everything that has played out over the past two decades.

There is only 15 months between Venus and Serena, and the sisters’ relationship is at the centre of Serena’s life and career.

She delighted in being the spoiled baby of the family and followed Venus in everything, including picking up a tennis racket and learning the ropes on glass-strewn courts in Compton, California.

The dynamic has played out through their professional careers, with Venus leading the way but swiftly being overtaken by Serena, the younger sister’s determination to have things her way making her a ferocious and,