“It Tears The Family Apart”: Why Venus Williams and Serena Were Pulled Out From Junior Tournaments

Venus Williams and Serena Williams, the superhero tennis duo, are two of the greatest athletes in the world. The newly released, Oscar-contending movie ‘King Richard’ tells their story.

‘King Richard’ depicts Richard Williams, the father of the sisters. It shows how he orchestrated his lifelong dream of making his daughters a pair of world-beating champions in tennis.

Venus Williams was not allowed to play junior tournaments

Richard Williams was in charge of Venus Williams’ tennis career from the moment she was born. Not only did he train Venus and Serena all by himself, but he also coached them in life, raising them well.Furthermore, Richard ensured that he was the one who took the decisions regarding the girls’ careers. When it came time for Venus to play in juniors tournaments, Richard gladly signed her up for them.

During her matches as a junior athlete, Venus Williams was a phenomenal player. She had a ridiculous record of 63 junior tournament wins to her name. However, her father decided to pull her out of the junior tournaments.

In an interview with the American National Public Radio, Rick Macci, who became Venus Williams’ coach later, revealed why Richard did what he did.

Macci explained that Richard was appalled by the way other parents treated their own kids if they played badly. Richard was clearly against it, never once berating Venus or Serena for their performance on the court.

“The parents just get so caught up in it… And they lose perspective, and they don’t really understand that this is a journey. And it’s called junior development, not junior final destination. And Richard didn’t want any part of that,” Macci explained.

ALSO READ: “This Holds a Special Place in My Heart”: Venus Williams Paves Way For Athletes With New Announcement

Richard wanted Venus to enjoy her childhood

In a 1992 interview with Trans Sport Tennis, Williams quoted that he didn’t want to expose his daughters to the ‘ugliness of junior tennis’.

“It tears the family to pieces, and we are a great family. And bringing the girls out later, it’ll be better all around for the family, for the girls, for tennis,” Richard had said.

Richard’s belief in his daughters, and his decision to retain their childhood and their innocence, paid dividends. His decision to pull out his incredibly successful daughters from the junior circuit, which they dominated, proves one thing. There is certainly no blueprint to success, no single path one has to follow.

The Williams family believed in themselves, and that went the longest way in etching their names in history.

DIVE DEEPER: King Richard: What Happened to Former World No.1 Jennifer Capriati Who Inspired Venus Williams to Play Juniors