“There was a lot of negativity” – Venus Williams & Serena Williams open up about growing up in Compton and how it set up their careers

8th Viva Technology : Day Three In Paris - Source: GettySerena and Venus Williams at the 8th Viva Technology : Day Three In Paris – (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams and Venus Williams have opened up about how the name of their newest podcast, ‘Stockton Street,’ stemmed from their journey from hardships to success. While Serena retired from competitive tennis in 2022, the latter recently played at the US Open.

As they launched the ‘Stockton Street’ podcast to pay honor to their childhood home in Compton, California, the sisters talked about how their origin helped them be mentally strong since they had to look past a lot of negativity.

Venus Williams shared how the name of their podcast tells the tale of their journeys, saying:

“That’s why we named it that because it encapsulates everything that we are and where we started from and all the things that we went through to get here too. I think that’s what we want to share.” (5:30 onwards)

Serena Williams added her thoughts by saying,

“I think being from Stockton Street and being from Compton, California really gave us, you know, this mental fortitude that we needed as we headed into our careers and like we were saying that, um, we really had to be strong and we really had to be stronger than the next person because there was, there was a lot of negativity out there,” said Serena. “How could you ever make it? You’re from Compton. You can’t play tennis,” Venus added.

When the 43-year-old asked her sister how she dealt with the negativity, Venus Williams talked about how her training boosted her confidence, shutting out the negativity.

“We were so well-trained and I’m a process person. I think sport taught us process. So I knew I could execute what we needed to do on the court because we had trained so hard for it. So it didn’t bother me because it didn’t matter what anyone said. I knew I was ready. You know, it was like more about matter of time of getting there instead of like what had happened. So they could say everything they wanted to say, but I knew I was good. And we got that confidence too from our parents.”

The younger sister then revealed her side of the story, always keeping her past as a reference and playing to prove herself.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ partnership on the court was the strongest

Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the HISTORYTalks 2022 - (Source: Getty)Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the HISTORYTalks 2022 – (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams and Venus Williams dominated the women’s tennis scene, bagging 23 and seven Grand Slam titles, respectively. The sisters partnered and won 14 Major titles in women’s doubles and won gold in three Olympic editions in 2000, 2008, and 2012, having jointly held the top rank in doubles. Serena and Venus Williams’ prowess on the court not only helped them rack up titles but also broke racial barriers, impacted visibility, and inspired younger generations.

Their partnership remained undefeated in the finals and also gained fame off the court for their joint ventures and investments. They acquired minority ownership in the NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, in 2009.