Venus and Serena Williams Reveal Whether They 'Actually Like Each Other': 'There's a Lot to Unpack'

Venus and Serena Williams were born sisters, but they later became competitors of the same craft.

While teaming up to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals throughout their legendary tennis careers, they also faced off against one another 31 times, with Serena leading their head-to-head statistics with 19 wins compared to Venus' 12.

Being both rivals and partners in the same sport certainly impacted the state of their bond as siblings, though after Serena retired in 2022, the pair seem closer than ever — and are teaming up once again with the launch of their new podcast, "Stockton Street."

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of their podcast premiering via X on Wednesday, September 17, the Williams sisters shed light on what is in store for their latest venture, which is set to dive deeper into exploring the duo's dynamic relationship.

"As close as we are, we had to keep so many things distant because of our jobs," Serena explained during the interview. "As much as she’s my sister, she’s also my opponent, and you can’t be as open as you want to be. So this a real opportunity to do something that we’ve been trying to do, and also just a discovery thing as well."

Venus chimed in, admitting: "I think a lot of people have wondered, and I talk about this in the first episode, 'Do we really actually like each other, because we have to play each other? Do you hate each other? Do you talk to each other?'"

"There’s so much in our relationship that we get to share that we never have before. There’s a lot to unpack," Venus confessed.

Serena and Venus' first podcast episode was filmed prior to the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium — a venue where the Williams sisters have played some of the most intense matches of their careers.

The stadium in Queens, N.Y., is also where Serena played her final game in 2022 before retiring as arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time with 23 major title wins.

"I've had a lot of wonderful memories there. I also had a lot of bad memories there, to be honest," Serena expressed. "I'm also a person that does not think a lot about the past. But it’s nice to take a second and a moment to maybe think about that."

Elsewhere in the interview, Venus also reflected on how the sisters' upbringing on Stockton Street in Compton, Calif. — which the podcast is named after — shaped the people they are today.

"We don’t necessarily coddle each other. We weren’t coddled in life. And we want to give that sort of tough love, not only to each other, but that we had to give to ourselves. Life is very real. So the message has to be real. What we want to share is all the things we’ve done and gone through that everyone goes through, whether it’s winning or losing on and off the court," she shared.