Serena and Venus Williams stunned in black swimsuits on the cover of the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

 

The tennis superstars donned sexy one-shoulder one-pieces for the fashion magazine’s Legacy Issue and talked about life after future retirement in the accompanying interview.

 

‘From such a young age, all we’ve done is work,’ Venus, 41, told Harper’s.

 

She continued, ‘So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free.’

On the cover image, Serena rested her cheek on her sister’s toned bicep as they gazed down at the camera.

 

Serena showcased her incredible figure in a Norma Kamali one-piece and accessorized with dazzling Cartier High Jewelry including diamond necklaces and large round earrings.

 

Venus’s svelte physique was on full display in her Sara Christina swimsuit which she paired with diamond drop Panthère De Cartier earrings.

The siblings sported similar hairstyles with their long locks braided back from their foreheads and down in voluminous waves.

 

The four-time Olympic champions modeled the swimsuits as they struck identical poses with their hands on their hips for a photo inside the magazine.

 

In the interview, Venus jokingly elaborated on their plans after they eventually retire from tennis.

 

She told the magazine, ‘Serena and I say we’re going to become body builders after tennis. It might be extreme. It might not happen exactly like that, but you never know.’

 

Meanwhile, Serena explained that contemplating her legacy does not factor in to her daily life.

 

‘That’s something I don’t think about nor do I want,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to think about what I’m leaving. I just think about who I am every single day behind closed doors and behind cameras. And that’s what I focus on.’

 

Venus was also reticent to discuss the impact of her legacy, saying, ‘I’m so inspired by other changemakers too.

 

‘I absolutely love design. I love mentoring. I love passing on what I know.’

While both sisters have achieved remarkable feats in their long careers, Venus was quick to heap praise on her sister, mentioning Serena’s 23 Grand Slam titles.

‘Serena is the one with all the trophies,’ she told Harper’s, despite herself having been crowned a Grand Slam champion seven times.

 

Venus also reflected on the media’s coverage of the sisters in their earlier careers.

 

‘Usually in one family there’s one good player and then the other one is not that great, Venus said.

 

She continued, ‘And I think people told Serena she wouldn’t be great.

 

‘The fearlessness with which she approached the game was something I’ve always really admired.

 

‘She doesn’t accept second. She explicitly told me herself that she plays for first place.’

 

The sisters also discussed King Richard, the critically acclaimed 2021 film that they executive produced.

 

King Richard follows Venus and Serena’s rise to greatness but largely centers on their father Richard, played by Will Smith.

 

Venus said, ‘I don’t think people even thought about what happened before we turned pro.

 

Serena noted, ‘This isn’t a movie about tennis. This is a movie about family.’

 

She explained her own view of the film, comparing King Richard to a superhero movie.

 

‘I am a dreamer, and I love Marvel,’ Serena told Harper’s.

 

‘I think King Richard is like Iron Man and that there still are other stories around it.

‘The next, obviously, would be the Venus story, and then there’s always the story about our other three sisters, and then there’s like a mom, and then there’s the Serena story.’

 

‘When I look at it, I see it just encompassing this whole superhero kind of thing.’

 

Serena explained how the film’s portrayal of their father, who prioritized their health and happiness over their careers, defied many people’s common perception of pro athletes’ parents.

 

‘A lot of people get this different story of sports fathers—especially tennis fathers, who are really overbearing,’ she said. ‘And that wasn’t necessarily my dad.

 

‘Everyone’s like, ‘Well, how do you play tennis for so long?’ It’s because we weren’t raised in an environment where it was something that we abhorred.’

 

Serena said that she was often hesitant to tell her father about her injuries as she knew he would insist that she rest before continuing to play.

 

‘He’s always like, ‘Take your time. You’ll be okay. Don’t play.’ ‘

 

She also shared an important piece of advice that Richard gave her and her siblings.

 

Serena said, ‘My dad always told us to plan ahead.

 

‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’

 

She added, ‘We never planned to just only play tennis and just only be tennis players. ‘We planned to do more.’

Serena also discussed the film’s portrayal of her half-sister Yetunde, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003, and her four-year-old daughter Olympia’s reaction to the movie.

‘We made sure to take out the stuff that was not kid friendly,’ Serena said.

 

She added, ‘It was really more about her saying to me, ”Tunde.”‘

 

‘She never met my eldest sister. She says she understands that Tunde isn’t around. That was interesting for me in a sad way, but she at least knows her a little bit better.’

 

Serena also emphasized the family’s close bonds. She explained that though they do not celebrate holidays since they were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses, they make family gatherings a priority.

 

She said, ‘We definitely like to just always figure out ways to…what does Lyn call it?’ Serena asked Venus, referring to their older half-sister Lyndrea.

 

Venus replied, ‘The Fellowship.’

 

Serena said, ‘Yeah, the Fellowship. Lyn says, ‘Let’s get the Fellowship together.’ ‘

 

Venus also weighed in the importance of their family serving as role models for other African American families though she asserted that their family was ‘just unique to ourselves.’

 

She continued, ‘Obviously we’re an African American family, and it’s important for people to see African American families in that dynamic … to have role modeling.’

 

However, she maintained, ‘Our family was super unique.’