Set For Another Final, the Williams Sisters Have Carried USA Tennis for 15 Years

When Serena and Venus Williams walk on to the court Saturday to play for the women's singles title of the 2017 Australian Open, they will be as they have been for so many years: the last Americans standing. 

Simply put, the Williams sisters have been carrying the tennis torch for Team USA so proudly and for so long that they deserve trophies, tournaments and center courts bearing their names.

They've been ambassadors and standard bearers for U.S. tennis for longer than American teen hopeful CiCi Bellis has been alive. They've represented the country at four Olympics, where they painted their fingernails and adorned their hair in red, white and blue.

Because of them, Americans could wave "old glory" in Melbourne shortly after Australia Day, in Paris in late spring and at Wimbledon in England as Americans celebrated the Fourth of July back home. 

Nearly two decades later and the sisters are still going strong and will meet in a Grand Slam final for the ninth time. 

In the semifinals of the 2017 Australian Open, Serena, 35, defeated Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-2, 6-1, and Venus rebounded from losing the first set to take out fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-3. 

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Serena is going for a record 23rd Slam title. Winner of seven Grand Slams, Venus is hoping to win her first Australian Open. 

So astonishing is their story that had it been presented as fiction, few would believe that two African-American sisters raised in Compton, California, could conquer tennis, usher in an era of equal prize money for female players, transcend sports, become world-renowned icons and do all this over the span of two decades. 

"I maintain this is still one of the great underrated stories in sports. This is the equivalent of LeBron James having a brother who is the second-best NBA player of the last 20 years," Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim told AusOpen.com. 

When it comes to American tennis, the Williams sisters represent. They have won a combined 29 Grand Slam singles and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. Serena won two Grand Slam mixed-doubles titles. They lead all tennis players in Olympic gold medals won (four each).

They continue to make history based on their age. In 2013, Serena became the oldest female player to reach No. 1. She can break her own record if she wins Saturday. Venus, 36, is the oldest female player to reach a semifinal or final at a Grand Slam. 

But, more than anything, Serena and Venus have kept American tennis relevant as countries like China and Japan have emerged to produce top athletes in an increasingly diverse field of players. 

So it's odd to hear people lament about the state of American tennis. Perhaps they mean the state of men's tennis in this country. Because the Williams sisters have dominated women's tennis in singles and doubles for nearly 20 years.

Serena's on the brink of becoming the all-time Grand Slam title holder, male or female, in Open Era tennis history. On what planet is record-book and world domination struggling? 

They've been the ultimate teammates for Team USA. In fact, despite all their success, Serena and Venus continue to play in the Federation Cup and have inspired a generation of talented young Americans, including Vandeweghe. 

After her loss, Vandeweghe told reporters: "I think it's great for her to make a final. To have an American in the final is a great achievement for American tennis. Hopefully Serena makes it there, as well, so we can have two Americans into the final."

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It's Venus' first trip back to a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2009. It's also her first time in the Australian Open final since 2003. That same year, Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open. An American male hasn't won a Grand Slam since. John Isner, 31, has only advanced as far as the quarterfinals once (2011). 

A group of promising young American men's players are emerging, including Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Noah Rubin, all of whom played at this year's Australian Open.

Still, at the top, it's been largely an all-Williams affair. A win in the final would move Venus back into the top 10. If Serena wins, she makes history and regains the No. 1 ranking. Regardless, there will be four American women—Venus, Serena, Vandeweghe and Madison Keys—in the top 20.

Both Vandeweghe and Keys have credited the Williams sisters as inspirations. Last year, Keys became the first American not named Williams to reach the WTA Finals in a decade. 

If not for Serena and Venus, the last 15 years of American tennis would barely register in the history books. Jennifer Capriati's 2002 Australian Open win was the last time an American woman not named Williams won a Grand Slam title. 

Capriati, just four years older than Venus, retired in 2004. Since that year, Venus and Serena have gone on to win a combined 19 Grand Slam singles titles. That's three times the combined career total for Capriati and Lindsay Davenport, who are both in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

So, on Saturday, along with witnessing two of the greatest professional athletes of all time, tennis fans will be treated to another entry in the incredible Williams sisters' story.

It's an action thriller and heart-warming tale—an American story still unfolding.