CHAPTER 1 THE WILLIAMS SISTERS STORY ichard Williams always wanted his daughters Venus born June 17 1980 in Lynwood California and Serena born September 26 1981 in Saginaw Michigan to have a better life than he had had In the poor crime ridden neighborhood of Compton California where the Williamses lived there were few opportunities for young African Americans to better themselves After watching a tennis match on television Richard Williams decided he would coach his daughters in tennis with the aim of setting them on the path of great sporting careers Serena Williams has come a long way since she learned to play tennis on the public courts in Compton Here she is seen in action at the 2013 Australian Open in Melbourne
THE WILLIAMs SISTERS STORY It was a bold plan not least because tennis in the United States at the time was dominated by white players from more privileged backgrounds When Venus was just five and Serena was four their father took them to the public tennis courts in Compton for the first time From that moment on tennis became their life It was not easy for the Williams sisters to enter the world of junior tennis They often had to put up with racist comments from the parents of other players who resented their success and ability Yet it only made Venus and Serena more determined to succeed STAR STATS As junior tennis players both Venus and Serena achieved amazing records Venus won every one of her 63 matches Serena won all but three of her 49 matches CCCCC CITDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
VENUS SERENA WILLIAMS IN THE COMMUNITY TEENAGE STARS It was a mark of the Williams sisters abilities that they did not wait long to turn professional Both were just 14 when they played their first professional matches Success wasn't instant for the Williams sisters but when it came few were surprised The sisters had long been thought of as future Serena on the court at the 1999 TIG Tennis Classic By then there were few tennis rivals who could respond to either of the sisters big serves and powerful
THE WILLIAMs SISTERS STORY greats At the age of 17 Venus reached the finals of the 1997 U S Open Two years later Serena won the U S Open her first Grand Slam singles success By the time Serena was crowned U S Open champion in 1999 the Williams sisters were a dominant force in women's tennis Together they won doubles titles at the French Open and U S Open In July 2000 Venus won her first Grand Slam singles tournament at Wimbledon The era of Venus and Serena Williams's domination of women's tennis had begun STAR STATS Between 1998 and 2002 Venus Williams won 22 consecutive matches at the Miami Masters tournament a record equaled only by all time great Steffi Graf SAN ANTONINKaiser Permanent UN HN 9
