Dan Rubenstein

It's the spring of 1991. In a hotel restaurant just a few blocks from Los Angeles International Airport. Rick Macy flew in from Florida last night and is stirring a styrofoam cup of complimentary coffee. He's waiting for his meeting to begin. Macy is a tennis coach and he's here in LA to meet a young player, someone he hopes can maybe get his coaching career back on track. The coach only knows a little bit about the man with whom he's scheduled to meet. A 49 year old guy from Compton, one of the roughest neighborhoods in la. The guy says he's coaching the best tennis player in the world and that player is his daughter. The guy owns some kind of security firm, but nobody in the tennis world has ever heard of him. His name is Richard Williams. His daughter's name is Venus. Macy wanted to see Venus for himself as Richard's hype was just too much to believe. And Venus apparently isn't the end of the story. Richard also mentioned that he has another daughter who's also great. It all sounded too good to be true. So Macy hopped a flight to LA to come watch Venus hit. If her dad's claim is even a little bit true, even 10%, thinks Macy, it could be one of the most incredible tennis stories in the history of the sport. Sitting in the hotel restaurant on the edge of a well worn chair, Macy adds another sugar to his cheap coffee. He's still waiting for Williams to show. Macy glances toward the automatic double doors and wonders if this wild goose chase is even worth it. And that's when he spots the trio. Out of the corner of his eye, three people, hand in hand, walk into the light. In the middle, there's Richard, a tall, lean man with legs that look even longer with his short white shorts. He also walks with a noticeable limp. On each side, a young girl grasps one of his hands. The taller one to his left walks slowly, matching her father stride for stride. The smaller one seems to be rushing forward, pulling her father as he holds her back. Macy stands up to greet Richard. He says, I'm Rick Macy. Great to meet you, Mr. Williams. And then he extends his right hand. Richard smiles broadly, but neither hand is free for a handshake. Hey. Hey. Glad you're here, Richard says. He motions to his daughters. This is Venus and this is Serena. Before Macy can even exchange pleasantries, Richard dives right in. I've got a lot of questions for you and hopefully you've got a lot of answers. Macy is surprised and thinks, wasn't I the one On a fact finding mission. But Macy obliges, leading the trio to his hotel room to talk more. Richard plops on the chair next to the TV and his daughters climb onto his lap. He tells the coach, rick, let's talk about you. And then he launches into it. Williams goes on to recite what feels like Rick Macy's entire life. He breaks down how Macy wasn't much of a player himself growing up in Ohio, but over the years he made a name for himself as the owner of a tennis academy. Macy is impressed. Guy did his homework. Then Williams brings up a fresh and painful wound for Macy's. He says the name Jennifer Capriotti. Maci's eyes dart away from the girl's father. He stares at the ground. Richard reminds Maci how the coach lost Capriati, his prize pupil and the star player. She was the most hyped young American tennis player in decades. And the Capriati family left Macy just as Jennifer's career took off. Now, well, Macy's trying to recapture that magic and Venus might be the way to do it. The four head downstairs and hop into William's minibus. Richard starts driving inland, away from the beach towns lined with country clubs and impeccably surface tennis courts. Fifteen minutes later, they arrive at a park in Compton, California. The four then jump out of the minibus and head to a pair of worn down courts. Macy gazes across a very different tennis landscape than he's used to. The courts are covered with glass shards and beer bottles. Every surface seems chipped. Nearby, a dozen guys are just passed out on the grass. Macy stops in his tracks. He thinks to himself, this is where these girls play. Richard then proudly says, welcome to the East Compton Hills Country Club. I named it that. Macy follows Williams as he unchains a shopping cart that he had locked to a net post. Richard fills it with tennis balls from the back of his Volkswagen. Most of the balls are way more worn and dead than Macy would ever let his players hit with in Florida. Richard motions for Macy to do his thing. Hit him some balls, see what they can do. He feeds them balls, hitting them harder, wider, with spin. And the girls just keep hitting them back, no matter how bad the bounce from the crack surface. It's a good sign, sure, but plenty of kids have energy and some consistency. Macy thinks these girls don't have form. They don't have a base of fundamentals, really. A good player would destroy them. Macy then starts to wonder whether he's lost his touch, whether the trip was a mistake. So he looks for a polite way to leave and get a ride out of the neighborhood. But then something unexpected happens. Maci glances over at Venus as she asks her father for permission to use the bathroom. On her way off the court, she flips over onto her hands. She's now walking on her hands past the next court. She then sprints off in the distance, laying out for a cartwheel every couple yards. Macy's jaw drops. He's never seen anything close to that sort of athleticism in a young tennis player. This changes everything. He drops his racket and sprints to Richard. Uh, Richard, I think you have the next female Michael Jordan on your hands. Williams looks confused, upset. He's shaking his head as he puts his arm around Macey's shoulder. You got it wrong, man. I've got the next two. We are live from Feddy's house. Hundreds gathered around the tv, all connected

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Dan Rubenstein

From wondery, I'm dan rubenstein and this is sports war.

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Foreign.

Dan Rubenstein

Today, Venus and Serena Williams are just accepted as all time game changing greats. They're two legends who powered their way into the record books and year after year competed on and dominated tennis's biggest stages. But their success was improbable. Their path one or two of a kind, with no assumed success along the way. And the story of their rise and rule over the sport is filled with unimaginable twists and turns as the two sisters faced off against the tennis establishment and each other. The two sisters, who shared a small LA bedroom, even a bed when times were tight, found themselves on that path towards greatness very early on, learning the game in an environment that couldn't have been further from the country club image of their sport. And it wouldn't be long before the Williams sisters take over the tennis world and really the only thing standing in their way each other. Because unlike, say, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, when it came to the trophies that each were chasing, for one to win, the other would have to lose. But before they became teenage sensations, before they became legends, the Williams sisters would have to get a win over a world that didn't quite believe in them. This is Episode one East Compton Hills Country Club. It's late in the summer of 1991 in Los Angeles, California. Eight year old Serena Williams is in the second row of the family's minibus. She's staring out the window listening to the back and forth between her dad Richard and her 10 year old sister Venus. It's been a couple of months since Serena was in the hotel room meeting the coach from Florida, Mr. Macy, and since then it seems like Venus has been getting all of the attention from dad. It bothers her and so Serena decided today she's going to change that. The trio is on their way to a 10 and under tournament that Venus entered. It's not unusual for Serena to also bring her racket to Venus matches to hit during random breaks, but today she's got a plan that no one knows about. Earlier in the month when the tournament application forms arrived at their house, Serena secretly grabbed one of them and filled it out. And she secretly entered herself into the tournament too. As the family's Volkswagen bus rolls and rumbles toward the tournament site, Richard gives Venus his standard steady stream of advice and pointers. Serena stares out the window but never stops listening. She's gonna need all those tips as well. When they finally arrive at the tournament site packed full of Polos, khaki shorts and sneakers lined with row after row of crystal clean tennis courts, Serena slips away undetected because Richard is locked in on Venus. Serena then finds the clipboard with the tournament schedule and sneaks off to play her own first round match. Until today, only Venus got to play in tournaments. But finally Serena thinks, it's my turn to show what I can do. Venus wins her first match quickly. Serena, in the midst of her own match over on court seven, can see Richard now that his attention is off Venus looking all over the place for her. Serena wins another point as she sees Richard asking around if people have seen Serena anywhere. One parent points towards Serena's court. Richard looks confused and maybe even a little bit angry. Serena never takes her eyes off the ball or her opponent, but she can sense her father is behind her now, watching. Her palms start sweating, and she wipes them on her pink skirt, feeling his eyes looking on at her, probably disapprovingly. She's never defied him like this before, never rebelled against his wishes. She'd wanted his attention, sure, but now that she has it, she feels anxious and scared, and she knows there's only one thing she can do. She runs and hustles and competes like she never has before in practice. She wins her match, and she's thrilled, but she's also terrified of the anger that could be waiting for her behind the fence. After politely shaking hands with her opponent, Serena stalls and purposefully doesn't turn around as she walks toward a water fountain next to the court. She takes a long sip and then swallows, closing her eyes briefly. She then turns around. Richard is standing there, hovering over her, arms still crossed. But when they lock eyes, a giant smile crosses Richard's face, bigger and brighter than Serena's ever seen on his face before. Richard beams. Look at you. You won. You played great, he says. I can't believe both of my girls won today. I'm so proud of you both. A sweet wave of relief washes over Serena. She then jumps into his arms, embracing him harder than she ever has before. Day one of the tournament is now over. The Williams sisters are both winners, and for the next few days of the week, Serena keeps playing and keeps winning. Same with Venus. It's thrilling for the entire family, at least until the finals, because there's suddenly it's Serena versus Venus. Of course. Serena's been across the net from Venus many times, but never in a formal match like this. As the match unfolds, Serena plays well. It's really the best she's played all week, but she still loses, and it's lopsided. It's also not shocking. Venus is older, stronger, faster. Serena knows she should be happy that she kept the match somewhat close, and what a great day the family had, her and her sister in the final. But also, she's crushed Second place, especially while your own sister takes first, still feels awful. It's a quick trophy ceremony. After the final, Serena receives her first trophy ever. She smiles at the shiny silver surface, but then see sees Venus holding an even bigger gold trophy. Serena can't stop staring at Venus trophy, tears welling in her eyes. After they walk off the court, Venus turns to Serena, the big sister trying to cheer up the best friend she just beat. Hey Serena, I've been thinking. Wanna trade trophies? I've always liked silver better than gold. Serena doesn't hesitate. She says yes right away. That night, she puts the golden champions trophy right next to her bed. She'll keep it there for years. Her favorite trophy isn't even hers. It's Venus. The older Williams sister isn't satisfied winning a title over her little sister. She's ready for bigger, more talented competition. And it'll come faster than almost anyone would ever expect for the kid from Compton. It's three years later in Oakland, California. 14 year old Venus Williams walks onto the court on Halloween night wearing as plain a getup as she could find, a pale shirt and a gray skirt conspicuously logoless. The quiet outfit has a loud message. She's letting tennis brands know that she's still available for sponsorship. It's her first professional tournament and Venus feels the weight of the moment not only for herself, but for the entire Williams family. This can validate what her dad Richard calls the grand tennis experiment. The significance of Venus debut is not lost on the tennis world at large.

Narrator

From all over the planet they have come to get a look at Venus. Her tennis talent was renowned to be otherworldly, like the faraway planet whose name she bears. That too was a mystery until Monday night.

Dan Rubenstein

Venus spots several famous faces from the women's tennis world as she warms up for her match. Pam Shriver, Lindsey Davenport, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. All three are top 15 players in the world. And there to watch Venus play her first round match. Across the net is an opponent who Venus is less familiar with but still expects to be tough. Sean Stafford. Stafford is a 25 year old woman who won the NCAA singles championship as a Florida Gator a few years back. Venus isn't even old enough for a driver's license. But across the net is an opponent who's been out of college for and is now ranked 59th in the international WTA rankings. Stafford is a full on grown up. It should be a mismatch, but that's not how the media is positioning things. They think Venus might be capable of beating anyone or she could go out and lose. 6060 there's really no way to know. Venus has been facing reporters and cameras for a few years now. But this is overwhelming even for her. Last year, 24 media credentials had been issued for the Oakland tournament. Now this year, with Venus Williams in the building, the number has ballooned to 252. Venus knows she isn't like most tennis prospects. Most other promising younger players came up through elite junior tournaments. But Richard kept her and Serena hidden from the mainstream tennis world. They skipped those 18 and under tournaments altogether. And Richard wanted it that way. He moved the girls from Compton to Haines City, Florida, where they trained at Rick Macy's academy. And Williams was strict about them staying focused on training and gradually getting better, honing their craft and specifically not being in the spotlight. Even though they trained with Macy, Richard still called the shots. He just wasn't interested in turning them over to someone else's care. Not entirely. He also didn't want his girls to do too much too soon. Jennifer Capriati, the previous American teen tennis phenom, the Macy protege burnt out after years in the spotlight. The danger from that much attention was so obvious that the WTA put a limit on how many tournaments a young teenager could enter. But in October of 1994, to make sure she was grandfathered in before the rule kicked in, 14 year old Venus Williams, madly in love with playing tennis and without the full support of Richard, prepared to play her first professional match. As the match begins, Venus is showing her nerves. She drops her serve in the opening game. Deep breaths, Vee. Venus tells herself this court is no different. Same lines, same ball, same racket. The outside has changed, but this court is the same and you've been doing this your entire life. Venus quickly recovers from her slow start. She breaks back and takes the first set, 6 3. Then she battles through a tough second set and wins it. 6 4. Her debut is over. She's now a pro and 1 0. The win makes headlines. Even her opponent compliments a young Venus in defeat. I think she's great for the game and I think she played well and she's only going to get better with more matches. Especially great for the game. I'll take that. Thanks Venus. She's thrilled, but she's also not surprised. This has been in the works since she was walking on her hands at the East Compton Hills Country Club. As the tournament continues with Serena rooting on from the family box, Venus continues to impress. Soon she faces world number two, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Midway through the match. She leads by a set and is up a break. 6 3, 3 1. Venus is all energy, but then the veteran disrupts her momentum, taking a lengthy mid match bathroom break. And suddenly Venus starts to feel nervous for the first time. With momentum now back on her side, Sanchez Vaccario rips off the final 11 games in a row to avoid the upset at the hands of the teenage upstart. Venus is understandably bummed about the loss, but but Richard almost looks relieved from the family box. A win might have been too much too soon for his young daughter. The tennis world though, is still shocked by Venus. Veteran tennis reporter Bud Collins said that had Venus closed out the win, it would have been the biggest shock in tennis history. Venus talent is obvious to anyone watching, but people still aren't sure what to make of her long term chances of success or her family, particularly Richard.

Narrator

Many questions about this mysterious tennis prodigy were answered here on Monday night. Still, many more remain. Her father was actually at least outwardly, rooting against his own 14 year old daughter, Richard Williams, afraid that early success might spoil her.

Dan Rubenstein

Who is this man who had developed the most unlikely tennis prodigy the game had ever seen? The world wants answers and ever the talker, Richard has plenty to say to the world. It's June 1978, in Los Angeles, 16 years earlier. Richard Williams is in the den of his home, turning the knob on his RCA color television. It's a hot day in the Southland and his only relief is a box fan that blows the warm air around his mid century ranch style house. It's a Sunday, his only day off from work. He owns a security company and with so much work, Williams is looking for a distraction. He finds it when he flips to cbs. Two women named Virginia and Mima are hitting a ball on either side of the net. A graphic then comes up on the screen. It reads French Open Women's Final. Richard then leans back in his chair, mesmerized by the reddish clay court and the fuzzy yellow ball being struck back and forth. Before long, Virginia Rusich is crowned the champion and holds up a big Cardboard check for 35. $35,000. Richard shouts at the TV. Just for a woman hitting a ball for a couple of weeks, that's gotta be the easiest way to get rich in the whole world. Richard gets up and runs into the kitchen. His wife Orisine is preparing lunch. She doesn't even look up as Richard pants and exclaims that he wants to have two more kids. Uh huh, she says, in addition to the three I already have and the five you have. Why's that, Richard? She asks. Without missing a beat, Richard says, so they can be tennis champions. He explains what he means. How hard can it be to get good at hitting a ball over a net? Our girls will both be number one in the world, believe me. Richard then sits down and writes a sprawling 78 page manifesto detailing his plans for world domination in women's tennis. When his daughters arrive, he'll be ready. It's September 1997, almost two decades later in Queens, New York. Richard's seventh daughter, Venus Williams, is making her way through the tunnel at the US Open. Venus was born almost exactly two years after her father watched the French Open final and decided he was having more daughters to turn them into tennis champs, starting almost day one today, she's just 17 years old. Venus is a couple months removed now from her second round loss in the French Open, one of tennis four majors. She followed that up with a quick first round exit on the finely manicured grass of Wimbledon in London, the sport's biggest stage. But now Venus is finding her groove stateside in New York at the US Open, perhaps the biggest deal major for any American. She got dealt a lucky path in the tournament's draw and promptly got to work beating some of the top women in the world. It's now a warm Thursday afternoon inside Arthur ashe Stadium, the US Open's new cavernous tennis stadium, which seats more than 23,000 people. This is the biggest tennis stadium in the world by a huge margin. Venus, though she's a growing name in the tennis world thanks to her run in New York, is no longer an unknown to the American public and to Madison Avenue. She's now a walking billboard for Reebok. The apparel company signed her to a record breaking $12 million contract and she's the main attraction at today's opening session of the new Arthur Ashe Stadium. The historical significance of the stadium and its namesake is not lost on Venus or her family. As African Americans, both she and Serena were schooled in African American history, specifically history in sports and on the tennis court. Not long after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with the Dodgers, Arthur Ashe became the world's first black tennis star. Ash a few years after Althea Gibson became the first African American to win a Grand Slam tournament, broke through here in queens winning the US Open in 1968, and went on to win Wimbledon seven years after that. As Venus walks onto the court, she knows her father intends for her and Serena to be the next torchbearers. And there's no more significant place to start that rise than in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match begins and Venus takes control, much to the delight of 15 year old Serena and her mother in the front row. But something is different today. Richard is conspicuously absent after he decided to sit out this tournament. And Rick Macy isn't here either. After winning the favor of the Williams family when he traveled to Los Angeles, Maci was unceremoniously dropped from their orbit once the girls started competing on tour. Now, without a direct connection to the Williams family, Macy was spending the Open talking to any reporter who would listen about how he was the reason behind Venus's newfound success. But fewer listening. Watching on TV from home in Florida, Richard sees Venus win the first set in a tiebreaker and now sees her lead 43 in the second set when Irina Spirlea, a Romanian veteran player, tried to derail her by throwing a shoulder bump at her between points.

Bud Collins

Watch this as they reach the chair area. Watch Spirlea kind of whistling along there. And it looks as though she deliberately collided with her opponent, Venus Williams, stepping out of her stride to get her leg, her knee, it appeared, into the leg of Venus Williams. Isn't this beautiful? Isn't this all women's tennis needs?

Dan Rubenstein

But Venus isn't rattled. She's never played a match with stakes so high, but she knows how to tune out a distraction and focus on the next ball. If she could handle Compton, where sirens and gunfire were a normal part of the backdrop, she could handle anything. Shake it off, shake it off, venus says to herself as she sits between games. If she did that, that means she's probably scared. But you're not scared. Venus fearlessness shows in her shots down match point. She sprints and rips a scorching backhand down the line, winner past the outstretched Spirlaya. Two points later, she's a winner, making it into the championship in her very first US Open run. The fallout from Spirlea's bump is swift. As Venus changes into street clothes in the locker room, she learns of her opponent's comments. Spirlea accused Williams of arrogance. Venus is then met in the hallway by Serena. You see what dad said? Serena asks Venus, eyes open wide. Richard, from his Florida home, told a reporter that Spirlea was, quote, a big, tall white turkey and said the incident clearly smacked of racism to him. I've seen a lot of racial things happen to my baby, he said. I think what happened to Venus was definitely a racial thing. After the run in, a cloud seems to hang over the rest of the 97 U.S. open. Many of the white players agreed with Spirlaya, and Venus now is aware of how her new peers view her. She knows that her father raised her to be tough, but she also knows it won't get any easier now as Venus championship match gets underway. The Venus, after a disastrous first set during which nothing is working, quickly loses in the final to another teen phenom. She's demolished by 16 year old Martina Hingis en route to the crafty Swiss prodigy's third Grand Slam title of the year. But also, there's no denying what Venus and her family have achieved. The New York Times, in a front page story echoes those achievements. The article says that quote, after seven years of expectations and castigation as nothing more than a media magnet and a money making invention of her father, Richard Venus Williams has transformed those scraps of adolescent promise into a patchwork quilt of dizzying accomplishment. There's no denying it. Venus Williams is tennis newest star now there's just one piece of the Williams family promise that hasn't yet picked up steam. Serena has to take her place atop the tennis world as well. She'd been in the front row watching and cheering for her sister more loudly than anyone, but now she's about to get her turn in the spotlight as the cheers get even louder. On our next episode, Venus blazes a trail on tour and Serena isn't far behind. After the Williams sisters conquer the tennis world together, they face an even tougher conquering each other and staying on top. From Wondry this is episode one of Serena vs Venus for sports Wars. If you like our show, please give us a five star rating and a review and be sure to tell your friends. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening right now. In the episode notes you'll find some links and offers from our sponsors. Please consider supporting them. Another way you can support the show is by filling out a small survey@wondery.com survey and tell us which sports stories you'd like to hear. A quick note about the recreations you've been hearing. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said. Those scenes are dramatizations, but they're based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about Serena and Venus Williams, we recommend the book on the Line by Serena Williams, Macy Magic by Rick Macy and Venus Envy by John Wertheim. I'm your host Dan Rubenstein. I also co host the Solid Verbal College Football podcast with new episodes dropping each week all year long, Ben Rothenberg wrote this story produced by Jaron Descalo, Gabe Goodwin, Jen Roman and Gabe Riven. Sound design by Jason Freeman. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman Marshall, Louie and Hernan Lopez. For Wondery,

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