What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in King Richard

The founding tale of Venus and Serena Williams' tennis superhero team is told in King Richard. The film's focus, however, is not on the two sisters, but on their father, Richard Williams (played by Will Smith in a performance that has made him an early favorite for this year's Best Actor Oscar), who, armed only with unwavering determination, a firm belief in his family's destiny, and a bucketload of motivational slogans, brought his daughters from the run-down courts of Compton to dominance of the junior tournament circuit, fighting race-based preconceptions in Williams was noted for adopting a unique approach to developing the sisters' careers, such as keeping them off the junior circuit and not allowing them to compete until they were 18.