Soweto kids take tennis lessons from Williams sisters

Scores of starry-eyed teens in over sized tennis kits queue neatly, awaiting their turn to play against US champions Serena and Venus Williams in South Africa’s famous Soweto township.

cries Serena Williams while running in place, waiting for her sister Venus to hit the ball from the other side of the court.

Some balls are sent neatly back over the net at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre, named for the first black American tennis player ever to win a Grand Slam.

The Williams sisters have traveled to South Africa to promote the sport among Africans, and especially girls, after a similar visit to Nigeria earlier this week.

“Here at the courts they call me Little Serena because I have what it takes to be her,” says Mmabatho Makgale, 12, after playing on the star’s side in a mini-doubles match against Venus’s team.

“I’m a little shy,” says Lulu Dwanya, eight, her head drowning in a white cap which Venus Williams autographed on her way onto the court.