Venus, left, and sister Serena.

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have taken the tennis world by storm and appear on the verge of dominating it for many years to come. Growing up in Compton, a gang-plagued city in south-central Los Angeles, they practiced tennis on cracked courts, amid drive-by-shootings, broken glass, and drug dealers -- often with worn-out tennis balls.

Their father, Richard Williams, taught them the game and coached them himself, limiting their play on the circuit until he felt they were capable of handling the pressures on tour. In 1999, Serena became the first of the siblings to capture a Grand Slam title by winning the U.S. Open. But Venus bounced back to have a spectacular 2000 season, winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, then claiming the singles gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. She finished the year ranked No. 1 in the world.

The Williams sisters are accomplished doubles players, having won the doubles championships at Wimbledon and at the Olympics in 2000. A year later, Venus successfully defended her Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles. Serena reached the quarterfinals of the Australian and French Opens, and Wimbledon.

And they are just as successful commercially, with Venus recently signing the richest endorsement contract for a female athlete in history.

Venus Ebone Starr Williams was born June 17, 1980. Serena Williams was born Sept. 26, 1981.