Serena Williams Displays Excitement as Will Smith-Starrer King Richard Makes Its Debut on Netflix USA

King Richard is a 2021 biographical sports drama movie depicting the life of Richard Williams. The movie experienced immense success as it received several nominations for the Oscars. It resonated with many, and it is now set to grace the screens at home. It finally launched on the most popular streaming platform around the world after a two-year wait, and Serena Williams is excited to share the news. 

With six Academy Awards nominations, King Richards helped Will Smith earn his first Oscar. The movie did not reach a large audience as it earned $21 million under budget. However, it is ready to reach a wider fan base as it is airing on Netflix. Serena Williams, an executive producer, along with her sister Venus Williams, shared her excitement about the development. 

Williams shared a clip from the movie on her Instagram story. Before the two began training under Rick Macci, Richard approached Paul Cohen, who was considered the leading tennis coach of his time. Cohen was busy with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras in a session when approached by Richard. He asks Cohen to watch them hit a few shots, but he resists at first.

As McEnroe gets up and leaves and Sampras says he has no issues, Cohen agrees to watch them hit a few shots. While not covered in the clip Serena shared, Cohen is highly impressed by the two but says he will only take on one girl as he could not coach both for free. He takes on Venus Williams before Richard eventually disagrees with him to take her to the junior circuit.

Unusual move by Richard Williams which led to Serena and Venus reaching the stars

Richard had his fair share of doubters when he continued being the major guiding force behind Venus and Serena Williams. When he decided to take the two out of the junior circuit, many were surprised. The norm follows that one masters the junior circuit before they tackle the WTA Tour, but Richard wanted his daughters to focus on education years as well.

Rick Macci, along with Pam Shriver, were two of the many who were surprised. She said in an interview, “It was very unusual, so [it was] met with skepticism because nobody had really chosen that path before.” Shriver added, “Because they weren’t hung up on results or rankings, they could just develop their game.”

When Richard pulled Venus out of the circuit, she was 63-0 in the USTA. She further went on to demolish the competition upon her return, and the rest, as they say, is history.