Venus Williams made a stunning tribute to her winning sister Serena, after the pair faced off in the 2017 Australian Open final.
Serena defeated her older sister in straight sets (6-4) (6-4) to collect her 23rd Grand Slam title, making her the oldest female Grand Slam champion in history at 35.
Venus however, put in a superb display against the tournament favourite and but for some unforced errors, could have tightened the contest a bit more.
Since her last Grand Slam final appearance in 2009, Venus has endured a difficult time on the health front. She was diagnosed with an auto immune disease in 2011 which causes dryness in the mouth and eyes and has other side-effects including muscle pain.
Her performance today showed her willingness to rally against her illness.
This was her ninth meeting with Serena in a Grand Slam final, and she marked the occasion with a powerful speech that illustrates the bond the Williams sisters share.
"Serena Williams, that's my little sister guys. Congratulations Serena on number 23, I have been right there with you, some of them I've lost right there against you. I guess that's weird but it's true. It's been an awesome thing, your win has always been my win and I think you know that."
"All the times that I couldn't be there, wouldn't be there, didn't get there, you were there. I'm enormously proud of you, you mean the world to me."
She then addressed the crowd and sent out messages of thanks to her family and the crowd before stating that she would love to come back and perform at the tournament again.
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