Queen of the court - Serena Williams

Serena Williams picked up a tennis raquet for the first time at three years old. She did this not out of childish curiosity or an impish competitive streak, but by design. Before she was even born, her father decided that tennis would be the way up and out for his struggling family. Richard Williams, studied tennis books and videos as if his family's future depended on it. He taught himself the game. He taught his wife, Oracene, as well. Together, they would hit balls until they were good enough to teach their children.

Soon Serena and her older sister Venus were practicing several hours a day on the public courts of Compton, California, alongside three older sisters. The older girls would chase balls while the youngest were put through their paces. Before their daily sessions, the sisters would sweep the courts of broken glass and drug paraphernalia. There was grass growing in the cracks of the ashphalt and the chain nets were rusted, but this was the proving ground of two future champions.

By the time she was nine, Serena had earned a number-one junior ranking in the regional Under-10 division. Her father famously boasted that he was training the best tennis player in the world - and he was. The tennis establishment looked on with a wary eye, but Serena played with such fierce determinaton that she quickly earned a place among the games elite.

Now, at twenty-six, Serena Williams is poised to begin a new chapter in her career. She has already won every major title in tennis. She has been counted out more times than she can remember. She has been derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic 2003 shooting death of her older sister Yetunde,and dismissed by critics for her unorthodox training schedule and boundless interests outsde tennis. And yet she prevails. She is currently challenging for the top spot in the women's rankings once more.

In THE QUEEN OF THE COURT Serena Williams shares with the reader the lessons she has learned from a lifetime in the game, and the hard-won principles she means to carry going forward.