Serena, Venus praise each other in moving championship ceremony

Serena Williams set an Open-era record Saturday at the Australian Open, surpassing Steffi Graf with her 23rd major title.

On the other side of the net, and ultimately, beside her holding the runner-up plate, was her sister Venus. It was the seventh time Serena had vanquished her older sibling in a Grand Slam final, but Venus betrayed no bitterness as she stepped to the microphone to deliver her consolation speech; she had only affection and praise.

"That's my little sister, guys," she said, to rousing applause.

"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. But it's been an awesome thing. Your win has always been my win, I think you know that. And all the times 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."

After that, it was Serena's turn, and she was no less gracious in victory than Venus was in defeat. She spent the majority of her speech impressing the impact her big sister has had on her life

"She's an amazing person," Serena said. "There’s no way I'd be at 23 without her. There's no way I'd be at one without her. There's no way I would have anything without her, She's my inspiration, she's the only reason that I'm standing here today, and the only reason the Williams sisters exist. So thank you, Venus, for inspiring me to be the best player that I can be."

It's been an incredible journey for the two of them, from playing together as preschoolers under their father's strict tutelage in Compton to standing on the podium together in Melbourne, in their mid-thirties, with 30 major titles between them and 320 combined weeks at world No. 1.

One expects that journey still has a few more stops along the way.