'Venus And Serena': An Extraordinary Story, Told On Film
It's Cinderella plus Jackie Robinson times two. When Venus and Serena Williams burst onto the lily-white world of tennis, they changed the game and made history: They were sisters. From a poor neighborhood. Who brought unprecedented power to the game. And both reached No. 1.
Their journey is the subject of a new documentary called Venus and Serena, showing in select theaters around the country.
"It's not just about sports," says co-director Maiken Baird. "I think of it as the great American story. It's rich with family, sisterhood, race, hard work and tenaciousness."
The film spans the sisters' careers — from their childhood days learning tennis from their father on rundown courts in Compton to their slew of Grand Slam victories as adults.
As their first trainer, Richard Williams gets a lot of credit for his very unorthodox approach. "He'd say, 'Rick, I want someone to play Venus today who cheats a lot,' " says one of Venus and Serena's first coaches, Rick Macci, of the women's father. " 'Maybe a kid who doesn't like us a lot.' No other parent would do that. And this is when they were 10 and 11 years old."
“ "I remembered the braids and I remember they were like really black. They were like, black black. They weren't like, country club black."