Two sisters dreamed of becoming tennis stars and made that dream come true through hard work and perseverance.

Fun Facts

• Venus Williams was born on June 17, 1980. Serena was born a year later on September 26, 1981.
• Their father had always enjoyed watching tennis on television. He wanted to get his kids into the sport and began teaching the two girls how to play when they were only three years old. He wasn’t a tennis player, but coached them by reading books and manuals on tennis. Their father had another interesting strategy: he deliberately moved his family to Compton, California, an area known for gang violence. He wanted the girls to see firsthand what would happen if they didn’t work hard and get an education.
• By the time they were five, the two girls were competing in tennis matches. They continued to compete throughout their childhoods and later signed endorsement deals. A few months after graduation from high school, Serena signed a $12 million deal with Puma shoes, for example.
• The two have gone on to become two of the most famous and most highly paid women in the history of tennis. They have won numerous competitions and taken medals in several Olympics.
• They’ve both experienced setbacks, discrimination, and injuries, but their hard work has allowed them to have very successful careers.

Questions and Answers

Question: Do Venus and Serena have siblings?

Answer: Venus and Serena have three older sisters.

Learn More

Watch a video about Serena and Venus’s family and childhood.