Really the main thing to come out of this article is the powerful description of the amazing sibling bond shared by Venus and Serena. Anyone with a close family will be stirred emotionally by the way sibling relationships are expressed here.
I must admit though, for all the mentioning of strength and growth and maturity in this piece, I still think of Venus and Serena very much as young girls who have never really properly grown up. Very little is ever mentioned of adult relationships they have had beyond their immediate family and I often think of them as just being shacked up together in a big mansion in Florida with all their pets and toys and tennis gear
Serena returning to Indian Wells was a remarkable personal decision to make, though, and Venus returning is also huge. I think it is a unique example of forgiveness. Although I don't like the subtle way Nelson Mandela is brought up. Any (even light) comparison between Serena's decision and what motivated it and the life of an amazing warrior and eventual ambassador of peace like Mandela is utterly inappropriate.
S&V are amazing tennis players but I don't think of them as figures of socio-political change at all. When I think of tennis greats who used their profile to create social change the measuring stick is pretty high - names like Arthur Ashe, Billy Jean King. These people worked their asses off to make life better for others and influence policy direction and the world in general.
One thing that is missing in the article is Venus discussing in full detail the amount of raw anger that (rightly) she and Serena both felt. This may have been left out intentionally to make the story less negative and highlight the nobility of forgiveness but I feel like it would have added an extra layer of depth and honesty. Anger was definitely present for a long period of time and was one of the main motivating factors that kept them from returning for many years.
