She won 6-4 6-4 to claim her seventh Australian Open, in the process beating Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam wins, and also becoming the oldest female Grand Slam winner in the modern era at 35.
“There’s no way I would be at 23 without her,” Serena said of Venus. “There’s no way I’d be at one without her. She’s my inspiration.”
“She’s the only reason I’m standing here today. She’s the only reason the Williams sisters exist,” Serena said of her sister, who at the age of 36 reached her first Grand Slam final since 2009.