Venus and Serena Williams were recently named two of the top 40 female athletes of the past 40 years by ESPNW. With five Olympic gold medals and 47 Grand Slam titles between the tennis star sisters, we'd be surprised if they didn't make the cut.

Venus landed at number 21 and Serena at number 10 and not only have they dominated on the court, but they've thrown as much effort into procuring equal pay for female athletes. The Williams sisters serve on the WTA Player Council and Venus founded the WTA-UNESCO Gender Equality Program to ensure that women worldwide are treated fairly.

The list is part of ESPN's "The Power of IX" campaign to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Title IX, which promotes gender equality in college sports. Every Monday through Friday from now through June 22, SportsCenter and ESPNW's Title IX section will count down the list and honor a different athlete each day.

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