Gibson made history in 1957

By emerging from what their father calls the 'ghetto' of Compton, California, the two girls have managed to achieve the American Dream.

They have persevered with a sport which, for many years, sought champions primarily from the richer classes who were able to benefit from their membership of professional tennis clubs.

So it is only right that the 20-year-old should win her first Grand Slam on a stage steeped in tradition and history.

Williams is not the first African-American Wimbledon champion and she certainly will not be the last. Althea Gibson did it first in 1957 and Arthur Ashe became the first black men's champion in 1975. But through Williams' success, tennis has taken a huge step forward.

Racism

There are still rumours of locker room racism, with another black American, Alexandra Stevenson, raising the issue again during Wimbledon 2000.

Williams acknowledges this problem still exists, even after Gibson and Ashe's triumphs, but she is equally aware of the effect her family's victories will have.

Ashe was the first black men's singles champion

"It's really a privilege for me to win Wimbledon while [Althea Gibson] is still alive," she said. "In her day people found it hard to see past colour.

"Realistically not too much has changed, but I do appreciate how hard it was for her to win.

"People turn on their TV and see this black girl playing tennis and think 'what is this'. We're doing something that hasn't been done very often."

Following on from Gibson's standard, Lesley Allen increased the profile of African-American players as the only black woman on the tour to be ranked in the top 25 during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Zina Garrison continued the theme by wining the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1988 and 1990 and reaching the singles final in 1990, when she lost to Martina Navratilova.

In the men's game, the most recent black player to go close was Malavai Washington, who lost in the 1996 singles' final.

On the current tour, Chanda Rubin has managed to reach one Grand Slam singles semi-final, the Australian Open during her career.

Emotional: The Williams family are changing opinion

Yet her background is very different to Venus Williams. Her father is a judge, whilst Richard Williams was a sharecropper before coaching his daughters to success.

Like Garrison and her doubles partner Lori McNeil, the Williams sisters grew up on their local street-courts.

Public appeal

But until Venus' Wimbledon win, their public appeal had not hit the same heights as their success.

"I don't think Venus and Serena have connected with the masses in the way Tiger Woods has done through his golf," explained BBC commentator and former doubles champion, Pam Shriver. "African-American players have had enough success that people got the message.

"But now these two dynamic, charismatic black sisters have had such an impact at home. They've made the general news headlines and that's fantastic."

The new Wimbledon champion is convinced action needs to be taken to get more black Americans to play tennis and she is keen to be a part of the project.

"You have to get out there and help out," Williams added.

"Let people see you and start programmes. That would be something that I and definitely my dad could help to start. "

So perhaps a portion of her �430,000 winner's cheque will head in that direction.