Assessing Serena and Venus Williams' Legacy Following Olympic Doubles Gold Medal

Serena and Venus Williams have added another gold medal to their trophy case and cemented themselves as the greatest tennis duo of all-time.

Serena nailed a 122 MPH ace to set up the subsequent backhand volley match winner from her sister Venus, clinching a 6-4, 6-4, straight set victory over Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.

Neither sister dropped a single set during their historic 2012 Olympics performance.

With this win, the sisters reach an unprecedented 15-0 in Olympic women’s doubles competition and win their third gold medal in the event in as many tries.

The Williams sisters have exhibited pure dominance in every sense of the word.

Not only are they three-time doubles gold medalists, they both have won their own singles gold medal as well. That makes them the only players in Olympic tennis history to attain an impressive four gold medals.

After the match, the sisters were excited about the win, but remained modest in light of their huge accomplishment.

“We’re just happy to add to our country’s medal count and be a part of that,” Venus said on NBC's telecast of the Games.

The dominant Williams’ sisters have been much more than just a part of the USA’s Olympic success. Let me put this into perspective for you: If Michael Phelps played tennis, his last name would be Williams.

They certainly have cemented their legacy as the best the world has to offer in Olympic tennis competition. However, where does their overall legacy in the sport stand? Does it focus on their Olympic success or on their success in comparison to others on the worldwide ATP circuit?

Venus has had both a success singles and doubles career.

Serena holds 14 singles Grand Slam titles, ranking her sixth all time on the list. She joins Steffi Graf as the only woman to complete the improbable task of completing a golden slam, which is winning all four of the major tennis tournaments and singles gold medal.

They both may be impressive as a singles players, and Serena may in the discussion for one of the greatest, but that pales in comparison to her and her sister’s domination as a doubles team. The two sisters have 13 Grand Slam doubles titles between them, not including their three gold medals in the event. That’s a doubles golden slam, if anyone’s noticed.

This combined success makes Serena one of the all-time great women’s tennis players. If not for Serena, who bested Venus in six of their eight Grand Slam final matchups, Venus could have been in the running that honor on her own.

Neither of the sisters, though, will ever be forgotten. Their tough, gutsy tennis will be talked about in the annals of tennis lore forever.

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