“People thought we hated each other” – Serena Williams & sister Venus Williams open up about ‘biggest misconceptions’ they had to deal with

Serena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams - Source: GettySerena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams – Source: Getty

Serena Williams and Venus Williams revealed the biggest misconceptions they had to deal with in the entire course of their career. The sisters have started a new podcast, titled ‘Stockton Street.’

After playing together for years at the tennis court, the Williams sisters have now teamed up off the court for their podcast, which will be released on X. The first episode of the talk show was recorded at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York and was released on September 17, 2025. In this episode, the two spoke about various aspects of their lives.

Opening up about the misconception she dealt with, Venus revealed that people believed the two sisters hated each other. She added that she was frequently questioned about what it was like playing against Serena and if they talked before their matches. (14:24 onwards)

“There was a misconception I felt like I was getting into like about us that we probably secretly hated each other when it could be nothing further than our favorite thing. I felt like people thought we secretly hated each other like, Oh, we’re going to find out because people would always be like, What’s it like playing your sister? Do you guys talk before? It’s like, moron, yes. Yeah, OK, but like if you see your sister, yes, you’ll talk before so I had this misconception,” said Venus Williams.

Venus and Serena Williams at 8th Viva Technology: Day Three In Paris - Source: GettyVenus and Serena Williams at 8th Viva Technology: Day Three In Paris – Source: Getty

Venus talked about another misconception people had about her, that she was too bold, and she and Serena weren’t nice people because they didn’t interact with people in the locker room.

“I feel like in the beginning people thought that I was, you know, too bold and that it was wrong for me to say that I thought I could win even though I was first coming on the scene, that we weren’t nice people tried to say we weren’t nice because we didn’t talk to other people in the locker room,” Venus added.

Serena, on the other hand, shared her misconception, stating that people always assumed that she was a serious person. Disagreeing with this, she said that she was the most unserious person in her family. Talking about her off-court personality, she said:

“For me I think the biggest misconception about me is that, , I don’t know, I feel like people assume that because I was so fierce on the court. And I was so like intense and I was so like insanely just passionate about what I did to a point where I didn’t smile.

“I think they assumed that that was my personality off the court as well and you don’t understand like for me I’m I’m always laughing. I feel like I’m the joker of the family like and of the tribe and of the friends, like, you wouldn’t think that I would be I mean I’m not nearly as serious OK there it is the misconception is people think that I’m a serious person yeah and I’m not serious at all,” said Serena Williams.

Serena Williams retired from tennis in September 2022 following her US Open campaign. Venus, on the other hand, made a comeback to the sport after a 16-month hiatus at the 2025 Citi Open.

Serena Williams praised Venus Williams for her return to US Open despite her first-round exit

Venus Williams opened her US Open campaign on August 25 against Karolina Muchova. However, it didn’t turn out as expected, as the latter dominated the round, claiming a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 win and ending the American’s run at the tournament.

Despite this early exit, Serena Williams did not fall short in cheering for her sister, as she exuded pride in her performance at the US Open by sharing a heartfelt note on social media. Taking to her Instagram story, she added a bunch of heart emojis and wrote:

“I am immensely proud of you @venuswilliams 🤍🤍❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥,”

Venus Williams also competed in the women’s doubles tournament of the US Open. After reaching the quarterfinals, she shared a firm message for Serena Williams in an on-court interview.