King Richard: Richard Williams

 But as the crowd-pleasing new drama “King Richard” suggests, Venus and Serena’s

 parents were determined to give them (and their sisters) a better life and all the opportunities that comes with it. That drive and ambition, along with the family’s shared worth ethic, helped launch the pair into superstardom at a young age, ensuring that they will forever go down as two of the greatest athletes ever to live.

In fact, the sisters were expected to start as early as 6 a.m. and then return after school, playing until dark in all weather (though in Southern California drenching thunderstorms are a pretty rare occurrence), sometimes not allowed to leave until they had returned 500 volleys. In the film, Richard wants them to practice in the rain because the balls won’t bounce as well. It’s not clear if this specific episode ever happened, but Richard certainly employed comparable practices. “Half the time he wouldn’t want new balls, he would use bad balls so the girls would have to run faster and bend lower,”