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Venus & Serena: “From the Ghetto to Wimbledon”
Venus (l) and Serena Williams (r) have made their way to the top of the tennis world. photo
© Dita Alangkara/AP/dpa
Two sisters have turned the tennis world inside out over the past quarter century: Venus and Serena Williams. Arte dedicates the remarkable documentary to the extraordinary duo.
With talent and almost unshakable self-confidence, the Afro-American women have played from tennis tournament to tennis tournament. They spent their childhood and youth in Compton, California, a suburb of Los Angeles notorious for its high crime rate. Father Richard Williams had moved there with his family to make stars out of his daughters. His motto: The ghetto hardens. The father coached the girls with the goal of making them the greatest in their sport – and this at a time when tennis was considered primarily a sport for a privileged, white upper class.
In the late 1990s, Venus and Serena, the two self-assured, black up-and-coming players from the problem area, began to stir up the tennis pro world. Opponents, spectators, reporters and tournament directors reacted at least with irritation, if not outright racism. When Serena played Belgium’s Kim Clijsters in the final of the 2001 tournament in Indian Wells, the crowd booed her. “I can’t believe what’s happening here. Boos at Serena Williams,” says the commentator. And further: “The American audience is booing an American family. It has a racist overtone.” Serena wins.
Father Richard says he grew up with racism and passed his steadfastness on to his daughters. They don’t let other hostilities get them down either, for example they wear pearls in their pigtails, even if their opponents don’t like it. You stay true to yourself.
In terms of sport, things are looking up. Serena surpasses Venus to become the most successful professional tennis player with 23 singles Grand Slam wins and four Olympic gold medals. When Serena said goodbye to professional tennis in New York in 2022, she thanked her sister with tears. “I wouldn’t be Serena if it wasn’t for Venus,” she says. The sisters had stuck together and made it to the top – just like their father had planned.