It's no secret that Serena and Venus Williams did not play very many junior tournaments when they were young. Their father and coach, Richard, chose instead to keep them on the practice courts until they were ready to start on the pro tour. The Williams sisters appeared on the tour in 1997, with Venus starting full-time at the age of 17 and Serena playing at 16.
Serena, who beat junior CiCi Bellis in the third round of Miami, 6-1, 6-1, said that everyone has different paths. Bellis, who reached the second round of the U.S. Open and earned two wins at Miami, finished 2014 as the No. 1 junior in the world.
"It's a lot of factors," Serena said. "My dad was a great coach and he's just such a great thinker. He just had this whole vision. So what I'm saying is if you don't play juniors, it's hard for people to see you and get sponsorship, and tennis can be expensive. For some people I think it's smart to play juniors. People can see your level and you can have some help in terms of traveling and getting coaches and things of that nature. But fortunately enough, we were able to manage."