Venus and Serena Williams had a humble upbringing. During their childhood days, their father, Richard Williams, took them to the public tennis courts in Compton to train. They worked hard day in and day out to strive for a successful tennis career. Later on, Rick Macci joined them and he became the first professional coach of the Williams sisters. Macci struck an instant bond with the Williams family and played an instrumental part in shaping their careers.

The hard work done early in their careers paid off as Serena and Venus went on to become one of the most successful siblings in tennis. While the younger Williams sister has secured 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Venus has won seven major singles titles. Additionally, the two have also teamed up to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.

During their youth days, Richard used to circulate myths to make his daughters popular. One such incident occurred when Venus and Serena were 10 and 9 years old, respectively.

How King Richard created “real” stories of their background to make Venus and Serena Williams popular

After achieving immense success early on in their career, Richard moved to Florida along with his family. He used their background in Compton as a marketing strategy to build up the myth of where they had come from.

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One such article read, “Venus and Serena were shot at by the gang members (the Bloods) while practicing tennis, and they (the girls) hit the ground. Mr. Williams was beaten up several times… After about seven months, he had earned [the gangsters’] respect. He became better known as “King Richard”… Master and Lord of the ghettos in Compton, Ca. By 1989, Mr. Williams had helped gang members go back to high school, helped parents understand the importance of family and education, helped parents stop prostituting their daughters.”

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Serena’s Florida home to be sold

The American legend’s Florida-based home is set to be put on the bidding table. Richard had allegedly given this house to his estranged wife, Lakeisha. However, the house is up for sale owing to her bankruptcy.

Watch this story: Will Smith Shows How King Richard Cast Trained Like Serena and Venus Williams

On the tennis front, Serena will participate in the National Bank Open in Toronto after her Wimbledon setback.