Serena's tall hurdle in pursuit of crowning achievement

By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Serena Williams developed in the shadow of big sister Venus, who towered over her as a youngster when they grew up together as kids being taught the game by father Richard on the cracked public courts of Compton. Serena does not remember winning against Venus in those days in the poverty-hit Los Angeles neighbourhood, but she might owe a debt to formative years that planted the seed of a fierce competitive spirit that has helped her achieve greatness. "She always won. Like always," Serena said when asked about early duels with her older sister. "I just remember I never was able to beat her, and I don't think I liked playing her." Now seven-times grand slam winner Venus, 35, plays in the shadow of Serena, 33, but stands in her way as the quarter-final opponent in her quest to become the fourth woman to sweep all four grand slam singles titles in a calendar year. Serena emerged unexpectedly, winning the U.S. Open singles title in 1999 at the age of 17, launching a magnificent career that has added 20 more slam singles crowns. Featuring the biggest serve in women's tennis, Serena vaulted to dominance. In 2003 she completed her first "Serena Slam" by winning the grand slam season-opening Australian Open after she swept the last three titles of 2002 -- all against Venus in the finals -- to hold all four singles crowns at the same time. There were lows as well in her majestic career, brought on by her temper and health issues. In 2009 Serena lost a U.S. Open semi-final to Kim Clijsters after screaming a profanity-laced tirade at a female line judge who called a foot fault on her. Serena then threatened to shove a tennis ball down the official's throat. Docked a point on match point, she handed victory to the Belgian and was fined $175,000. Health issues also held her back. Serena missed nearly a year due to a severe cut to her foot following her 2010 Wimbledon victory and a subsequent clot in her lung. But Serena worked her way back, rededicating herself to the game. After taking on Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach just before Wimbledon in 2012, she has gone on an extraordinary tear, dominating the game at the advanced tennis age of 33. In the past three-plus years, Serena has won eight grand slams and is riding a magical 2015 season in which she has registered a 52-2 record, three wins away from a career-crowing calendar-year Grand Slam. (Editing by Andrew Both)