Williams sister back to roots

Venus and Serena Williams made a rare visit to their childhood hometown, where their half-sister was killed in 2003, to have tennis courts dedicated in their honour last Saturday.

The sisters were greeted by cheers from a few hundred people when they arrived at Lueders Park, not far from their former home in the violence-plagued city of Compton located 17 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

“We literally lived right down the street so we could walk there,” Venus told the crowd.

“We are really excited to be here,” Serena said. “Driving here brought back so many memories. We definitely want to see some more champions come from these courts.”

Thelma LeBeauf, an 84-year-old fan from Los Angeles, clutched a plastic bag filled with newspaper articles about the sisters she has clipped and saved over the years. She pulled out a photo from the late 1990s, when the sisters wore colorful beads in their hair.

“At that time, black people, we weren’t into tennis,” LeBeauf told The Mail, who attended with her daughter and granddaughter. “I’ve learned from watching them. I like the style they play.”

The sisters first learned to play tennis a few miles away on courts at East Rancho Dominguez Park in an unincorporated area surrounding Compton under the tutelage of their father, Richard, who didn’t attend Saturday’s ceremony.

The sisters are helping fund the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, set to open early next year. Named for their half-sister who was killed in a drive-by shooting in September 2003, the center will help connect residents affected by violence with service providers.