The great return of a tennis icon. Her sister died in tragic circumstances.
Serena Williams’ fans once again have reason to celebrate. It has just been announced that the global tennis icon will return to the WTA tour in the new season. At 44 years old, the legendary player is coming out of retirement once more, eager to feel the adrenaline of competing against the world’s best tennis players. Not everyone remembers — not everyone knows — that the American has carried an unhealed trauma for years. The murder of her half-sister shocked the public and dominated news headlines for weeks.
Yetunde Price was the eldest of the three half-sisters of Venus and Serena Williams. She accompanied them from their earliest days in the tennis world and even helped oversee their careers for a time. The bond between them was incredibly strong.
The tragic event occurred on September 14, 2003, in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. Price — a 31-year-old nurse, mother of three, and co-owner of a small hair salon — was riding in an SUV with her partner Rolland Wormley when their vehicle came under gunfire. She died after being taken to the hospital.
The most dramatic moment in the Williams sisters’ lives. One day changed everything forever.
The tragic news reached Venus in New York, where she was attending Fashion Week. Serena was in Toronto filming scenes for the series Street Time. In an instant, they dropped everything and rushed to California, where the murder had taken place.
Why was the car carrying Yetunde Price shot at? To this day, there is no single confirmed explanation. The most common theory involves gang conflicts and drug-related disputes. What is known is that the shots were fired by members of the Southside Crips, a group well known to local police.
American media emphasized that the incident took place just two and a half kilometers from the courts where Venus and Serena learned to play tennis as little girls.
Two men were charged with murder. Michael Hammer was quickly cleared of suspicion and received only a three-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm.
Robert Maxfield was arrested in January 2004. Two years later, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 2018, he was released early for good behavior.
A year before he left prison, Venus and Serena opened the Yetunde Price Resource Center. It is located in Compton, the very place where their half-sister was killed. Its purpose is to support victims of violence and their families.
“It was truly a dark time in my life,” Serena revealed in an interview. “I went through depression. I never even talked about it with my mom. No one knew I was in therapy.”
The former world No. 1 is now raising two daughters. Alexis Olympia is eight, and Adira River celebrated her second birthday this year. In the 2026 season, the younger daughter will see her mother on court for the first time.
