Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus Williams has always been the strongest pillar of support in their lives both on and off the court. He introduced his daughters to tennis and played a major role in their early development. Richard Williams always pushed his daughters to the highest level and also protected them when they needed him the most. So, the success story of the Williams sisters is not just about them! Recently, during a conversation with renowned painter, Titus Kaphar, Venus Williams spoke about how her father used unorthodox ways to bring success to their career. She revealed how she protected them from the outside tennis world.

Richard Williams always intended to raise his daughters as tennis players. He initially started training Serena and Venus using only books and instructions when the girls were just four and five respectively. His ways of teaching his daughters were quite unique and during a previous interview, Venus Williams revealed, “People didn’t understand him but I think that it didn’t take long for people to realize that this is a guy who’s for his family, for his daughters, ride or die, no matter what.“

Venus Williams recently joined Kaphar on the CULTURED for a conversation. During the conversation, Titus Kaphar revealed how he ended up with the wrong teachers when he got to undergrad. He spoke about how he used to stand outside an art store and watch a portrait painting class. According to him, museums are the places where he learned the most about painting. Where did Venus Williams learn tennis initially? “That person for me was definitely my dad. He created his way of how he thought tennis should be played. For example, we were not allowed to play defense. It didn’t matter if we got to this shot that normally someone would play a defensive shot on. You couldn’t hurt us. We would just play offense no matter what. He really changed the game, and we were his students in that sense,” said Williams.

Behind every success lies the pain, sweat, and sacrifices of parents who dream big for their children. Venus Williams has often confessed about the importance of her parents in her professional life. Even Serena Williams has often spoken about the significant influence of their parents in their lives. For example, in an interview with Wesley Lowery of GQ., she said, “You see, when someone is different—when they don’t act or look how a person assumed they would—the first reaction is often fear. They think, How do we break them?” 

Did they manage to break them, though? “My dad anticipated that, but he would not allow himself or his family to be broken. He was and still is way before his time,” said Serena Williams in that interview. Richard Williams has always been fiercely protective of his daughters be it on the court or off the court, he was always up there for his kids. Here are some more examples of his sheer protective nature.

Serena and Venus Williams’ father had to fight with gang members for his daughters’ training

Since tennis was a predominantly white sport at that time, people would stare and shout at the Black family as Richard and his daughters traveled to various tennis courts to take part in the junior tournaments. There was an instance when the girls had asked her, “Daddy, why do people stare at us so badly?” To this, his reply was, “Because they are not used to seeing such beautiful people before.” Richard Williams was often beaten by local gang bullies while trying to protect his daughters from different types of harassment during the training sessions,

On one occasion, when he refused to leave the practice court with his daughters, they broke his nose, jaw, and fingers. They even knocked out several of his teeth. Recalling those moments in his diary, Richard wrote, “After today, history will remember the ‘toothless’ man as a monument of courage.“

Then there was another instance when we saw him interrupting the then 14-year-old Venus Williams interview. The incident occurred during a one-on-one interview with the then ABC News correspondent, John McKenzie. It began with the journalist asking him if she could beat her next opponent. To this Venus Williams replied, “I know I can beat her,” and then McKenzie asked her again, “You know you can beat her?” Venus Williams said that she is very confident with a smile on her face. After seeing her comfortable with everything, McKenzie asked her how could be so confident. Then after hearing this, Richard intervened and asked to cut the interview.

Explaining the reasons for such actions, he later on told McKenzie, “You’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with an image of a 14-year-old child. And this child gonna be out there playing when your old ass and me are gonna be in the grave. When she says something, we done told you what’s happening. You’re dealing with a little Black kid — and let her be a kid. She answered it with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone.” That’s how their father always stood for them when they needed him the most. Share your thoughts on his role in Serena and Venus Williams’ career.