Australian Open 2021 - 'She gets it' - Serena Williams hails sister Venus after beating Sabalenka

ByEurosport

Updated 14/02/2021 at 06:30 GMT

Serena Williams spoke about how much she enjoys having her sister Venus on tour with her. She was speaking after progressing to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a hard-fought three-sets victory over Belarusian seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka. The 2021 Australian Open is live on Eurosport. Watch every match live and ad-free on the Eurosport app and eurosport.co.uk.

Former world number one Serena Williams has hailed the impact her sister, Venus, has had on her career.

Serena stormed into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday with a gritty 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory over Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

The match was a big test for Serena, who was up against one of the few players on the women's tour capable of matching her power from behind the baseline.

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But she progressed in her pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam to equal the women's singles slam record held by Margaret Court.

Serena made her professional debut four years after her older sister did. The 39-year-old spoke of how great it is to have her sibling still playing with her on the tour, especially in pressurising moments over their careers.

• Serena smashes through Sabalenka in high-octane tussle
• Australian Open LIVE!

“It helps a great deal, having Venus around is amazing," she said post-match. "Not just now in the twilight of our careers but also the beginning.

"It’s so cool because no one understands the level of intensity or the pressure of the losses and the wins unless it’s someone else in the locker room.

She gets it.

Serena: 'Having Venus around is amazing' in Melbourne

Serena admitted Sabalenka really tested her in their fourth round clash.

"I'm happy to get through that one," Williams said, "It wasn't easy and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. She was teeing off on every shot.

Even the games that I lost were super close, one shot here and one shot there, and I just felt like, 'Serena you've got this, you've just got to keep going.'

Highlights | Aryna Sabalenka - Serena Williams

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