“Grounding Force”: Monica Seles Talks About the Influence of Serena Williams’ Mother on Her Career

Over the last two decades, Serena Williams has established herself as one of the greatest players of all time. She is an ambassador of the sport today who continues to inspire millions. However, she would not have reached anywhere if she had not got the support from her father, Richard Williams, and mother, Oracene Price.

In a recent podcast, Former World No.1 Monica Seles threw light on the influence of Serena Williams’ mother, Oracene Price, on her career. She believes that even though the tennis world talks a lot about the contribution of Richard Williams, Oracene played an equal part in shaping Serena’s career.

“In tennis, we always talk about Mr. Williams and not about Oracene. So, I think it is the grounding force that she was, day-to-day, during tournaments. I mean, she never missed a match, she would be there, I mean she never showed emotion, and I think that it is so awesome, and she never put pressure on Serena or Venus,” said Seles.

Seles mentioned that Oracene never missed a single match of either Serena or Venus. She also highlighted that as a parent, she never even exerted any sort of pressure on her children.

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Monica Seles reveals that Serena Williams’ mother is a really cool and calm person

In the same podcast, Seles also disclosed the cool and composed nature of Oracene. She reflected that one could not guess if Serena or Venus lost by looking at her face in the locker room.

“I think, to me, she was always the same. If you would see her around the locker room, you would not know if Serena or Venus won or lost and very few parents, you can say that about,” added the 9-time Grand Slam champion.

It looks highly unlikely that Serena Williams will play a professional match this year now. Even though she is recovering from her hamstring injury, there are chances that fans might see her at the Australian Open 2022 only. Will she be able to win her 24th Grand Slam title before bidding goodbye to the sport?

Also Read: “I’m in Full Admiration of Serena”: When Roger Federer Settled the GOAT Debate of Tennis