New York: The tennis obituaries will have to wait for now. The Williams sisters have no intentions of quitting anytime soon.
If they have their way, they will be around for a lot longer yet, perhaps adding records for longevity to their records on the court.
For years, people have speculated about how long they would stay in the game, predicting they would eventually lose motivation as they racked up the titles.
But the speculators have been wrong and Venus said the American sisters were more motivated than ever to keep going after a long injury layoff.
"We`ve decided we`re not going to lead a traditional career," Venus said on Monday, with no hint of irony.
"We haven`t to this point, so we won`t. So we`re going to play past the limit that anyone has ever played."
Venus is 31 and has not won a grand slam singles title since 2008. Apart from Wimbledon -- which she has won five times -- she has not won any other major in a decade.
Serena turns 30 in four weeks. She won the last of her 14 grand slam titles last year, before she was struck down with health issues.
Serena told reporters on Monday that if Venus retired right now, she would keep playing because she loved the game so much but Venus said they were more likely to go at the same time.
"We have to go out together," Venus said. "When our singles game goes, we`ll continue to dominate in doubles, hopefully bring home more majors in that.
"We`ve decided to just enjoy tennis. It`s such an honour. We`ll do it as long as we can. Right now the end is not really in sight."
Venus won her first round match at the U.S. Open on Monday, beating Vesna Dolonts of Russia 6-4 6-3. Serena opens her campaign on Tuesday, against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.