Serena Williams now admits the big mistake she made before her first Grand Slam final against Venus Williams

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The Williams sisters contested their first Grand Slam final at the 2001 US Open.

When Serena Williams defeated Martina Hingis and Venus Williams took down Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals, both players advanced to set up a dream match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Fans had been anticipating the first Grand Slam final meeting between the pair, which promised to be a thriller.

It wasn’t quite the classic fans had expected, as Serena Williams produced a sub-par performance when the lights were brightest.

Speaking now, the younger of the two sisters admits she made several mistakes in the lead-up to the final.

Serena Williams says she was too worried about organizing family and friends before US Open final

During the first episode of the ‘Stockton Street’ podcast, Serena Williams recalled the problems she encountered ahead of the final with Venus Williams.

“We played in the finals of the 2001 US Open. I was so worried about who’s coming, the tickets, who’s going to sit in the box, who’s going to sit where,” she said.

“I remember you on the court, you seemed to be only [focused] on you.”

The more experienced sister didn’t have those same problems and was laser-focused on getting the job done.

“I didn’t invite anyone, I actually never invite anyone to the tennis,” said Venus Williams.

“I hate to sound mean, you can always come, but I’m so doing me that I won’t have any time to hang out, you can’t let anything get in the way of the process.

“It’s so much work getting prepared, and to stay prepared, you don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. All the gym you have to do during the tournament, so you don’t get hurt, so I never invited anyone. 

“The more time I spend off, I can’t invite anyone because I really don’t want to focus on anyone else.”

On that occasion, the decision paid dividends, as Venus Williams defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 in the US Open final.

Venus won their first Grand Slam final meeting, but how did their rivalry unfold over the years?

Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ Grand Slam final head-to-head record

Between 2001 and 2017, the Williams sisters contested nine major finals across the four tournaments.

After losing their first final, Serena Williams proceeded to win the next five, enjoying a period of dominance against her sister.

It wasn’t until Wimbledon in 2008 that Venus Williams could taste victory again, clinching the title with a 7-5, 6-4 win on Centre Court.

Serena Williams soon returned to winning ways, picking up wins over her sister in the 2009 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open finals.

Retiring with a 7-2 record against her sister in Grand Slam finals, Serena Williams proved she knew how to perform when the pressure was on.