Venus and Serena Williams have embarked on a new chapter together with the launch of their podcast Stockton Street, which debuted Wednesday, September 17, on X. The show is named after the street in Compton where the sisters grew up, and fittingly, the first episode was recorded inside Arthur Ashe Stadium – the same venue where so much of their tennis history unfolded.
For Serena, the title reflects the grit that shaped their careers.
“I’ve always had this chip on my shoulder,” she told Venus. “If anyone tells me no, I’ll show you that I can. I took it as a personal mission.”
She recalled how even a heckler once fueled her fire, spurring her to victory in an Australian Open final despite painful bone bruises in both knees. “I looked at that guy and I was like, ‘That’s what I needed… I didn’t lose another game.’”
The sisters’ chemistry is effortless, with moments of laughter as they swap stories—sometimes ones that only one of them remembers. Venus chuckled about an ill-fated childhood haircut from their mother.
But the show also dips into deeper territory. Reflecting on being misunderstood, Venus admitted: “You keep so much to yourself to protect yourself.” Serena countered with her own revelation: “People assume because I was so fierce on the court… they assumed that it was my personality off the court as well. The misconception is people think that I’m a serious person, and I’m not,” she said, smiling.
They revisited their 2001 US Open final while sitting on the very court where it was contested, both admitting that facing each other was one of the hardest parts of their careers.
“I really just hated it,” Serena said. “I hated every part of it.”
The unscripted, free-flowing format allows them to jump between tennis, life, and business. Venus confessed her discomfort while raising money last year: “I hated every second of it… Growing up, mom always taught us, don’t ask anybody for anything.” Serena, meanwhile, embraced the challenge. “I’m always asking for money. I used to hate it, too. Now I’m loving it. I get a lot of nos.”
As Venus put it, the sisters are “looking forward to being open and sharing things about our relationship and things that we went through – we’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg today.”
The second episode of Stockton Street will drop on Wednesday, October 1.
