Column Venus and Serena Williams return to Compton to renew ties to the community

They left Compton decades ago, pursuing a dream that flickered into shape on the rough public tennis courts of East Compton Park and crystallized into stunning success on well-manicured grass and carefully tended clay courts around the world. But Serena and Venus Williams never severed their ties with the city that shaped them, the place that taught them they’d have to battle for everything they earned and, above all, reinforced the importance of family having your back when others try to take you down.

Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and the elder sister at 36, said she returned to Compton last year, quietly. “We always keep it low-key. We don’t come and make an announcement that we’re here,” she said. “This has always been our roots and always will be. It makes us proud.

“You always remember those places, like where we went to elementary school, the courts we practiced at, even our old home. And just places you used to go. And of course things change over time. Places move. Shops close. Streets change. But it’s still the same place.”

Their return Friday and Saturday was aimed at making Compton a better place, renewing their ties to the community while honoring the big sister whose murder in a drive-by shooting in Compton in 2003 tore a hole in their hearts that time can never repair.

Serena Williams, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion whose 186-week reign atop the Women’s Tennis Assn. rankings recently ended, joined Venus on Friday at the Dollarhide Community Center to discuss details of the Yetunde Price Resource Center, which is scheduled to open in Compton early next month. Funded with a five-year endowment from the Williams Sisters Fund, the center will be a conduit to guide those affected by violence and trauma to get the resources they need in order to heal and move on.

Sharoni Little, the center’s chief operating officer, projected that it will serve 50 clients per month. “This is going to be not just an exchange of information but a sustained, deep relationship,” she said. “It will be relational. There will be follow-up. There will be not just passing on a card or a flyer but actually making those connections and relationships. And we obviously know it will grow because of the need.”

Serena and Venus Williams could have benefited from such help after Price, oldest of three daughters from their mother’s first marriage, was killed. Yetunde Price, who was a registered nurse, co-owned a beauty shop and sometimes worked as her sisters’ personal assistant, was 31 and left behind three young children. Two of them, daughter Justus and son Jair, on Friday received a plaque honoring their mother. The plaque will be displayed at the resource center.

“We definitely wanted to honor our sister’s memory because she was a great sister, she was our oldest sister and obviously she meant a lot to us,” Serena said. “And it meant a lot to us, to myself and to Venus and my other sisters as well, Isha and Lyndrea, that we’ve been wanting to do something for years in memory of her, especially the way it happened, a violent crime.

“Basically, how does the family react? If her kids didn’t have my mom and us, it could be really devastating. But we had such a great system that they’re doing pretty good. We just felt like people that didn’t have that opportunity to fall back on, what could they do? And that’s kind of how this resource center came about.”

Serena and Venus have been involved in many charitable efforts. Serena has funded schools in Africa and Jamaica and backed college scholarships for deserving American kids. “We try to help out as far as our arms can spread,” Serena said.

That’s pretty far. “I know we’d like to wrap this whole Earth,” Venus said. “There’s never a limit. There’s always a need and we’ll do everything that we can.”

Compton Mayor Aja Brown, 34, grew up watching the sisters’ tennis feats and was delighted to welcome them back. “They were so inspiring for me, to see girls that looked like me on the court doing amazing things and accomplishing so much with all the discipline and tenacity and the maturity that they really were able to handle so many adverse situations,” she said.

Having them reconnect with Compton through the Resource Center was a significant moment for Brown and the city. “It’s really inspiring for myself and the entire community to have them come back and to really have a strong presence and to come back with such a powerful resource for our community,” said Brown, whose maternal grandmother was murdered in a home-invasion in Compton. “I commend them for not only being champions in their own respective rights but also for being champions for Compton residents.”

The sisters spent part of Saturday in familiar surroundings at Lueders Park, which was walking distance from their childhood home, for the renaming of refurbished courts as the Venus & Serena Williams Court of Champions. Those courts, and courts at what’s now known as East Rancho Dominguez Park, are where everything began for them. Their involvement in the resource center named for their sister ensures their connection with Compton will not end.

“We’re really appreciative to have this opportunity,” Serena said, “and to have it in Compton, I think, brings everything full circle. We started here and we want to make sure people understand this is a great place to be.”

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Venus Williams Added To Long List Of Investors For Ellevest

Venus Williams, the first black American woman to become the top-ranked tennis player in the world, recently became one of the many investors for Ellevest. The $9 million funding round will help the digital investment platform on its mission to give women an investing experience.

Ellevest is run by CEO Sallie Krawcheck and is a company made especially for women in an attempt to close the gender investing gap, a cause the businesswoman has championed. Williams has an extensive background in standing for women’s right for equal pay dating back to 1998.

“I feel like we’ve had so many parallels in our lives,” Williams told Fortune of Krawcheck. “This is really me believing in her.”

Back in 1998, the female victor at Wimbledon had collected less than the male ever since the tournament began back in 1880. In 2005, when both Williams and Roger Federer won their respective championships, Federer found himself with a prize that was 9.5% more than Williams’ ($1.13 million vs. $1.09 million). Finally in 2007, a statement was released from chairman of the All England Club, Tim Phillips, mentioned that the committee had “decided that the time is right to bring this subject to a logical conclusion and eliminate the difference.”

Ellevest is a company full of go-getters, both women and men, who are working to eradicate the pay gap. In addition to the star tennis player, individuals such as Mellody Hobson (President of Ariel Investments), Theresia Gouw and Jennifer Fonstad (co-founders of Aspect Ventures), Miriam Rivera (former Deputy General Counsel at Google) and many more are investors.

“This incredible group of individuals is investing in other women to promote the message about the importance of taking financial control,” Krawcheck said in a statement. “They have each broken down barriers in their own careers and are now turning to closing the gender investing gap; we’re thrilled to have them as investors in Ellevest.”

According to Ellevest, women control about $5.1 trillion of wealth, so making proper investments is important. It is hoped that, with the help of the fintech firm, these women will be able to reach their long-term investment goals such as starting a business, retiring well-off or buying a home.

Venus Williams eliminated by Madison Keys in 3 sets

MONTREAL -- Sixth-seeded Venus Williams tumbled out of the Rogers Cup in the third round Thursday night, falling 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-3 to 10th-seeded Madison Keys in an all-American match.

Playing her last tournament match before the Rio Olympics, the 36-year-old Williams lost seven straight games before holding serve in the third game of the second set. After Williams rallied to tie the match, Keys found her serve in the third set, ending the match with her 12th ace.

The 21-year-old Keys won the Wimbledon tuneup event in Birmingham, England, this year for her second WTA Tour title, then reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. She'll face 16th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the quarterfinals.

Williams beat Barbora Strycova -- the Czech player whom Keys topped in the Birmingham final -- on Wednesday in her first match since losing to Britain's Johanna Konta on Sunday in the Bank of the West Classic final. Against Keys, Williams struggled with her serve.

"Her first serve was definitely slower than normal," Keys said. "But it was funny, her second serve was a lot slower, but because of the court, it was bouncing a lot higher than normal. So while her first serve was a little easier to return, her second serve was really tough."

Pavlyuchenkova beat fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

"It's going to be a tough match," Keys said about Pavlyuchenkova. "She's always tricky because she definitely fights till the end, and she's going to hit a lot of winners."

Pavlyuchenkova let two match points slip away while leading 5-4 in the second set and then lost the game on a double fault. She rebounded in the third set to extend her longest run at the hardcourt event.

"I think I'm still recovering from the second set," Pavlyuchenkova said. "Basically, I thought I had the match in my pocket and lost it, so I'm happy with the mental side."

Radwanska won in 2014 in Montreal.

The 15th-seeded Konta beat American Varvara Lepchenko 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal against Slovakia's Kristina Kucova, a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in the late match.

Bouchard was penalized a point for racket abuse in the third set, when she struggled to hit the lines to the disappointment of what had been a festive center-court crowd at Uniprix Stadium.

"I played some high-quality tennis this week -- I can't forget those two matches -- but two matches is not a whole tournament," Bouchard said. "I need to learn how to keep it going and deal with the pressure. I just felt I maybe panicked a little bit, tried to finish the points too soon."

Second-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

"I'm still improving to playing better tennis, being more aggressive and just going for it," Kerber said. "I think today I was a little bit too excited to going for it. This is sometimes, I think, the problem."

Kerber will face Russia's Daria Kasatkina, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over seventh-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Fifth-seeded Simona Halep of Romania, a finalist last year in Toronto, beat 14th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3. Pliskova, the WTA Tour ace leader, had only five in the match.

"I knew that it's going to be tough because I don't get rhythm from her," Halep said. "You never know what to expect for the next point, so there's a bit of tension. I just had to stay patient for every ball and to keep fighting because I knew that if I stay there for every ball, she can miss more than me."

Halep will face ninth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, a 7-6 (2), 6-3 winner over 12th-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.

Absence of Williams sisters highlights tennis scheduling issue

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez says the Fed Cup format may have to change if the world’s best players are to find time in their schedules to take part more consistently in the international women’s tennis competition.

The United States will be without its top three singles players, Serena and Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens, when it faces Australia in a World Group playoff this weekend.

The Americans still have a strong team for the match, which will be played on a temporary clay court at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena. The lineup includes No. 22-ranked Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe (36), Christina McHale (57) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (89).

The absence of the biggest names raised questions over whether the tournament can retain its prestige.

Fernandez told a news conference Wednesday the format and scheduling of the tournament made it difficult for top players such as the Williams sisters to easily commit. She said players mapped out their schedules at the start of the year and were then required to find space at late notice for Fed Cup ties.

“We didn’t find out we were coming to Australia until the second week of February,” Fernandez said. “It’s not the most convenient thing to do, come to Australia when everyone’s heading to Europe or in the States.”

Fernandez said she’d spoken to the International Tennis Federation about revising the format, and agrees a format more like the men’s Davis Cup could make it “a little bit easier to follow and it will be a lot more convenient for the players.”

Australia captain Alicia Molik said the attitude to Fed Cup differed from nation to nation but few countries took the tournament more seriously than Australia, which will be represented on the weekend by Sam Stosur, Daria Gavrilova, Casey Dellacqua and Arina Rodionova.

“The tradition starts young,” Molik said. “We’re fortunate in Australia to have our best players wanting to play and put their hand up at all times to represent their country.”

Molik said she understood the reasons the top U.S. players were absent and said Australia would not be taking their opponents lightly.

“In Serena and Venus’s case, Olympics is a big goal for them, they have (already) qualified,” Molik said. “The U.S. has the luxury, they have a lot of top players, but I think it just really points out that we here in Australia have players who are really commited to our country.”

Serena & Venus Williams Close To Facing Off At US Open

All in one fell swoop, Venus Williams eliminated one of the only two women who beat her younger sister this season and moved closer to a possible U.S. Open quarterfinal showdown against Serena.

Gathering herself after a mid-match dip in play Friday, Venus reeled off the last five games and beat 12th-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2010.

Did Venus get any family advice before facing Bencic, who defeated Serena last month en route to the title at a hard-court event in Toronto?

“Yes, but that’s between us,” Venus said, breaking into a wide smile. “I think it worked.”

At 35, Venus was the oldest woman in the field. At 18, Bencic was the youngest to make it to the third round. She is mentored by Martina Hingis, who was sitting in the front row of her guest box in Arthur Ashe Stadium on a cloudy, breezy afternoon.

During an on-court interview after the victory Friday, Venus was asked about having reached her first major final in her U.S. Open debut back in 1997 — about six months after Bencic was born. Venus happened to lose that match to Hingis.

“Why do you have to bring all that stuff up? It makes me feel old,” Venus replied, chuckling. “I love the game. I love the U.S. Open. I love how everyone got behind me, even when I was down.”

Venus trailed 4-1 in the second set before grabbing the last five games against a player she called “tenacious.”

Bencic takes the ball early, plays angles Hingis can appreciate, and is considered a likely future star of the game.

“I feel like the people recognize me a little bit more sometimes, like, ‘Oh, she’s the girl who beat Serena.’ I don’t think they know my name,” Bencic said, “but they just know I beat her.”

Serena is seeking to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam at the U.S. Open and brought a 50-2 record in 2015 into her match against Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Friday night. Rafael Nadal was scheduled to face Fabio Fognini after that.

In other action, 13th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, a 2014 semifinalist, was rebuffed in an attempt to get attention from a trainer for cramping in her taped-up right thigh while serving for the match, but eventually held on to beat 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 7-5.

“I was so scared,” said Makarova, who will play 40th-ranekd Kristina Mladenovic of France.

Defending champion Marin Cilic was among the men advancing in the afternoon, edging Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Benoit Paire of France eliminated No. 26 Tommy Robredo, and No. 19 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France beat Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine, both in straight sets.

After getting broken late in the first set Friday, Bencic looked to be making headway in the second against the 23rd-seeded Venus, breaking for a 3-1 lead with a running, down-the-line backhand passing shot that drew an errant volley.

But Venus won 21 of the last 29 points, including 11 of the last 12 she served, and wound up with a 31-12 edge in winners.

Looking ahead, she could face Serena early next week. Asked on court how aware she was of that, Venus said: “At this point, if you don’t know, you’re — I’m not even going to say. I hope we both get to the quarterfinals. I do.”

Venus will face 19-year-old Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, a qualifier ranked 152nd who beat Madison Brengle of the United Sates 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Kontaveit hadn’t won a Grand Slam match until Monday.

“I have no idea how she plays or anything,” Venus said. “I will try to put the ball in the court again.”

Since getting to the semifinals five years ago, Venus has lost in the U.S. Open’s first round once, the second round twice and the third round last year.

She was asked whether it feels “new and exciting” to be headed toward the second week of the tournament again.

“It’s not new,” Venus began, then paused before adding: “It’s always exciting.”

Henin: WTA players 'don't believe enough' against Serena

Justine Henin would like to see Serena Williams receiving more of a challenge from other players on the WTA Tour, saying the women's game now lacks a consistent group of top players driving each other to play better.

The former No. 1, who at 33 is younger than Williams, praised Williams for staying at the top for so long. "It's something you have to respect. I know that it takes to wake up and still want to do the hard work," Henin told press in Toronto, where she was inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame.

"I am a little surprised that she still wants to be here, that's for sure," the Belgian said. "She still has the fire. But I am more so surprised we don't have girls—a new generation—that really say, ‘OK, the old ones (are gone). We take (your) place. I think for the game it will be very important that we need two, three, four players behind her that really try to push her much more."

But she does not see many candidates. "There are many girls that can play good tennis, but it's not consistent enough," said Henin. "And I think they don't believe enough."

"She's right," said Simona Halep, who admired Henin growing up. "Because we see Serena is winning everything and we are thinking that we cannot beat her."

Henin named Victoria Azarenka as the player most likely to push Williams, and also likes Halep's game. "Probably Azarenka could do that, and she's the player I see in the best position to do that," Henin said. "Halep is probably the girl that I appreciate the most to watch, because she tries to do different things. She reminds [me of] the way I was playing a little bit, even if there are different things."

The seven-time Grand Slam champion recalled rivalries from when she was on tour, regularly playing finals against players like Williams, Amelie Mauresmo and Kim Clijsters.

"When I was playing, I had the feeling that you were in [the Round of] 16 and really everyone could win the tournament," she said. "It was a great generation. I think Venus and Serena pushed a lot of players to raise their level. They put the game at another level and it was fantastic to be a part of it because we had to push ourselves all the time to get better. And there was Kim [Clijsters], there was a time of [Lindsay] Davenport, [Jennifer] Capriati. There was [Martina] Hingis. There was the Williams sisters, all the Russian girls coming on the tour. There was  Mauresmo, [Maria] Sharapova. That was a fantastic time."

And Williams has kept improving, suggested Henin, saying "Maybe she's still even better today than she was a few years ago. It's amazing."

Williams, who is 40-1 for the season, is playing in the semifinals of Toronto against Belinda Bencic.

Wta rogers cup sabine lisicki shocks venus williams

It wasn’t easy, but Serena Williams beat Flavia Pennetta to not only win her opening match at the Rogers Cup, but to score the milestone 725th match win of her illustrious career.

But this time it’s game, set, match to Williams as she outplays the haters who have said she is “built like a man” and “fat, fat, fat”.

“I feel like I can be close to performing well on the court, and it’s just been a long, patient kind of battle, and I feel like I’m close to turning it around”.

“Against Venus you have to play well to be able to beat her”, Lisicki said.

“We just get along excellent”, Williams said.

The 21-time grand slam victor said on www.wtatennis.com: “It was a good opportunity for me because I hadn’t played a match on hardcourts since April-ish, early, early April, after Miami”.

Williams’ resistance continued to crumble, with three straight double faults in the fifth game handing her opponent a third break, before Lisicki closed out the set 40-0. The tennis champ flaunted her ripped abs while gracing the cover of “New York Magazine” and she’s never looked hotter!

Venus Williams shouted “Come On” loud enough for fans to hear her, then covered her mouth to mutter some more words to herself in frustration.

“I will try to be ready for the matches”.

Even at 33, Williams is playing elite-level tennis and can complete the calendar-year Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open next month.

Serena and Venus Williams sell their Midtown pad

The tennis world’s superstar sisters just scored another ace.

Back in 2005, Venus and Serena Williams paid $1.33 million for a co-op in Midtown. The sporty duo never made it their home, seeing as how it’s still unfurnished a decade later, but that didn’t stop them from selling it for $2.1 million. Newly listed public records hold the proof, as first reported by 6sqft.

The buyer? That would be Ted Wells, the high-profile lawyer the NFL hired this year to investigate the New England Patriots’ Deflategate controversy. Dubbed “the scandal guru” by the Daily Beast, he issued a report saying that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was likely “generally aware” the AFC championship game balls weren’t fully inflated. His findings are being used as court proceedings continue.

In the meantime, he and his wife — former New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells — will prepare to take possession of the Williamses’ floor-through pad at 28 W. 38th St., not far from Bryant Park.

It has all the characteristics of a quintessential loft: exposed pipes, high ceilings and oak wood floors. The place is “set up as a one-bedroom with a huge walk-in closet and laundry room,” but could easily be converted into a two-bedroom. Check out the current and proposed floor plans.

Considering that Venus has her own interior design firm, which kits out McMansions and high-end hotels, it’s surprising that the sisters left the place so spare. (Yup, that’s why the listing photos are virtually staged.)

Especially after Venus told New York magazine how she wanted the loft to look in 2007: “Serena and I have an apartment in New York and it’s not furnished, so I’d get that done. I wouldn’t design it myself; I’d have the girls from V Starr, my design company, do it. It’s hard work! I’d want a guitar for the apartment — a Gibson J-45 acoustic. And a purple Fender Stratocaster. Serena plays, too, so I’d get her a pink Fender Strat. We’d have fun. For my room, a custom king-size mattress would be cool, and sheets from Frette and a Frette bathrobe. Every girl’s got to have a bathrobe.”

Serena, this year’s Wimbledon champ and the current No. 1 women’s singles player, has annual earnings of $24.6 million, according to Forbes. That makes an $800,000 profit on an apartment seem like chump change!

Plus, there’s always room for fancy bathrobes in the sisters’ other abodes.