Serena, Venus Williams ‘Grandparents’ Of US Women’s Tennis

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) president Patrick Galbraith labeled Serena Williams and older sibling Venus Williams the “grandparents” of US Women’s tennis while praising the players coming up on the WTA Tour.

He believes there are three generations currently on tour from the United States and has predicted a bright future.

15-year-old Coco Gauff is the latest women’s tennis sensation from the U.S. after she qualified and progressed to the fourth round at Wimbledon while also making it to the third round of the 2019 US Open.

Among the young adults, according to Galbraith, they have Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys currently ranked No. 12 and No. 14 in the WTA rankings respectively.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 06: Venus Williams (USA) (L) embraces Sister, Serena (R) after defeat in the 4th round on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 06, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Mark Leech/Getty Images)

Galbraith suggested that the Williams sisters are forced to stay young to remain competitive but Serena is still the highest ranked American women’s tennis player at No.9. Moreover, she has reached four Grand Slam finals in the last 15 months as she searches for her 24th major

“The women are phenomenal. The children are growing. Then you have the adults, you have Sloane [Stephens] and Madison Keys and that group,” Galbraith said, as quoted on Tennis World USA.

Aug 7, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) wave to the crowd after their game against Lucie Safarova (CZE, not pictured) and Barbora Strycova (CZE) during the women’s doubles in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Olympic Tennis Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

“Then you have the grandparents — Serena and Venus Williams. You have three generations of players out there all being successful, and they’re all pushing each other. It’s forcing Venus and Serena to stay young.”

In comparison to the women, US men’s tennis has fallen drastically with just two American players in the top 30 at the moment with John Isner ranked No. 17 and Taylor Fritz ranked No. 29 in the world.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 31: Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponant Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Galbraith believes while tennis remains a priority sport for women, it is way down the line for the men, who prefer to choose pro-basketball, baseball or football before looking at becoming tennis players.