Venus and Serena Williams have gone from knocking ratty, old balls against a concrete wall in Compton, to being the Queens of womens tennis. The two sisters made tennis history on September 8, 2001 when they became the first sisters to play each other in a US Open final in more than 100 years. It was also the first time two African Americans had played each other in the event final.
Venus and her younger sister, Serena (who is 18 months younger,) grew up in Los Angeles where they lived with their parents and three older sisters. They both started playing tennis when they were just four years old. The Williams family didn't have very much cash, so they couldn't buy any new tennis balls. Instead they played with old balls they found. The two sisters couldn't afford expensive tennis lessons at a ritzy country club either - so their dad, Richard, bought a book on tennis and taught them himself. The two sisters smashed balls on beat-up, old tennis courts for up to six hours a day while their dad, who had never played much tennis before, read instructions from his book.

When Venus was nine and Serena was eight, they entered their first tennis tournament. This one wasn't watched by millions on television like the US Open, but the result was the same. Both girls reached the final and Venus beat her younger sister. The hard serving sisters then entered junior tournaments and kept winning. But their dad soon pulled them from junior tournaments so Venus and Serena could concentrate on school where they were
Venus Williams
both A students.

Venus turned pro when she was 14, and quickly climbed the world rankings. When she was 17, she reached the final of the US Open but lost to Martina Hingis (a whiny snob, who Venus would later destroy on a regular basis.) By this time, Serena had turned pro and was climbing the world rankings as well. In 1999, Serena won the US Open and became the first sister to win a Grand Slam event. The next year, it would be Venus' turn. She defeated Lindsey Davenport to win the 2000 Wimbledon title. Venus and Serena would also pair up that year to win the Wimbledon doubles title. Since then, Venus has been the most dominant player on the women's circuit. She won the 2001 Wimbledon title and the 2001 US Open with the historic victory over her younger sister.

Venus and Serena's success comes from their power game. Their hard serves and returns are what overwhelms and tires out their opponents. At the 2001 Wimbledon tournament, one of Venus' serves was clocked at 127 miles per hour - almost as fast as a serve from Pete Sampras. Despite serves that scare the daylights out of many players - Venus and Serena have their own fears. It's not Anna, Martina or Jennifer. It's horror movies. Both the Williams sisters say they are absolutely terrified of horror movies and can't bear to watch them unless they're together. So don't be surprised if Martina Hingis wears a vampire mask or a Frankenstein costume next time she faces Serena or Venus. That would be the only way she might be able to win.