John McEnroe’s ex-wife and actor Tatum O’Neal recently reacted to Venus Williams recalling her first Olympic victory alongside sister Serena Williams.
The year is 2000 and the place is Sydney. Venus and Serena Williams have won three Grand Slams together and are competing in the Olympics for the first time in their respective careers.
The pair, who were unseeded in the women’s doubles, defeated the Dutch pair of Christie Bugert and Miriam Oremans 6-1, 6-1 to capture the gold medal. This is the fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal for an American pair in women’s doubles.
Venus Williams also won the gold medal in the women’s singles, defeating Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4. The 43-year-old took to Instagram to commemorate her double win with Serena Williams on the event’s 23rd anniversary.
“On this day in 2000 I won gold at the Sydney @Olympics with my little sister @serenawilliams so special. And then came the singles,” Williams said on the Sydney podium for herself and Serena Williams’ photo caption.
Tatum O’Neal commented on the image with a simple heart emoji.
Tatum O’Neal, the youngest ever Academy Award winner, was married to former world No. 1 John McEnroe from 1986 to 1994. The couple had three children together, and McEnroe eventually won custody of the children.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams win four Olympic gold medals each
Serena Williams and Venus Williams are both Olympians and have won four gold medals each.
After winning the women’s doubles event in 2000, eight years later they won the gold medal in the final in Beijing, defeating Annabelle Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual. Both sisters were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the singles competition that year.
At the 2012 London Olympics, they defeated the Czech pair Andrea Hlavakova and Lucy Hradka in the gold medal match and successfully defended their doubles title. Serena Williams also won the women’s singles title, defeating Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 in the final.
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was the last time the Williams sisters competed in the prestigious event. They lost early in their singles matches, with Venus Williams exiting in the first round and Serena Williams in the third round.
The legendary pair were top seeds in the women’s doubles event but were eliminated in the first round by eventual bronze medalists Lucy Safarova and Barbora Strycova.
However, Venus Williams did win a silver medal in the mixed doubles event, partnering Rajiv Ram. The pair were defeated in the final by compatriots Bethany Matek-Sands and Jack Sock.
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