FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE

In 1980, a man named Richard turned on the TV and saw a female athlete from Romania receiving a check worth up to $40,000 after winning a tennis tournament. This shocked Richard! The amount was more than his annual salary. An idea struck him: Richard decided that his daughters must play tennis.

After turning off the TV, Richard sat down and wrote a 78-page document outlining a detailed plan for how his young daughters could escape their hometown of Compton, California - an area notorious for violence and gangs!

The big problem was that Richard knew nothing about tennis, and the biggest problem was that he couldn't afford to pay for his daughters to train in this expensive sport!

The incredible part is that, at the time Richard made this 78-page plan, his daughters hadn't been born yet!

Over the next five years, Richard continuously collected magazines and video tapes related to tennis. He also taught himself how to play tennis. As per the plan, Richard's daughters received their first tennis rackets!

Richard was both a father and a coach to his daughters. Since he couldn't afford the basic equipment needed to properly play the expensive sport, Richard had to go to local country clubs to pick up used tennis balls that were thrown into the trash. These balls would be used by his daughters to practice on public courts.

Richard was often beaten by local gang members while trying to protect his daughters from being harassed during their tennis practice.

Once, when he refused to leave the practice court with his daughters, the thugs broke his nose, jaw, fingers, and several teeth. Richard wrote in his journal: "After today, history will remember the 'toothless' man as a monument of courage."

Since tennis was predominantly a white sport at the time, whenever Richard's black family and his two daughters showed up at tennis courts for local tournaments, many people booed, stared, and even shouted at the three of them.

Once, his young daughters asked, "Dad, why do people stare at us so angrily?" Richard replied, "Because they've never seen anyone as beautiful as us before, my dear!"

Time flew by, and the calendar turned to the year 2000, when a tall, slender black girl began her journey to play the final match at Wimbledon, far from her hometown slum thousands of miles away. Richard watched his eldest daughter, a proud girl, play on the grass in front of the elite, celebrities, and royalty in London.

No one had ever seen a player with such a powerful serve and quick footwork, nor had they ever heard such fierce shots. It felt like every serve was intended to blow the ball away!

The girl overcame her fears each time she saw her father standing in the stands, loudly cheering for her! Richard always told his daughters, "One day, we will win Wimbledon. But it won't be just for us; it will be a gift for the poor and helpless people of America."

Richard's 20-year struggle plan succeeded, creating a significant milestone in history. When the opponent's ball hit the net, the cameras captured Richard dancing wildly with tears in his eyes, witnessing his daughter Venus Williams winning her first of seven Grand Slam titles.

In the following years, Richard also witnessed his youngest daughter Serena win 23 major tournaments and become one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Despite all their success on the tennis court, what Venus and Serena endured off the court is the most impressive part of their journey.

From malicious nicknames like "The Williams Brothers" (due to their physiques) to recent media comments calling Serena's mixed-race daughter "Milk Chocolate," the resilient and kind nature of the two sisters has helped them stand up against racism and bigotry!

"The best way to get revenge is to strike back with a racket on the tennis court!" The extraordinary struggle of these two sisters has and continues to inspire black people and athletes around the world!

Truly admire you, King Richard!!!