“Wouldn’t Allow Himself or His Family to Be Broken”: Serena Williams Reveals How Her Father Broke the Barriers

Venus Williams and Serena Williams are two of the greatest tennis athletes in the world. But the iconic sisters credit a large part of their success to their father, Richard Williams. The now 79-year-old man once single-handedly stood up against all odds and chased his dream ferociously. What followed was that he became an inspiration for the world to learn from.

According to the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, Richard “was and still is way before his time.” And being different comes with its own set of obstacles. However, her father took on that challenge and did everything to keep his family from breaking down.

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Serena Williams on her father, Richard Williams

Richard Williams dreamt of both her daughters as tennis greats even before they were born. Moreover, he stuck to his plan and denied the traditional path to reach the top. On their journey together, many people became hindrances but the determined father was already ready for all of it.

“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? My dad anticipated that, but he would not allow himself or his family to be broken,” Serena said.

Even today, Richard goes to every practice with the seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams. Indeed, he is a living example of driving your children to becoming their best possible selves. 

Warner Bros. decided to bring his story to the big screen, under the title, ‘King Richard.’ American actor Will Smith will play the role of Richard, the father of the legendary Williams sisters.

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Venus and Serena defied all odds in tennis like their father

From a very young age, both Williams sisters did wonders with tennis racquets. It didn’t take much time before they became international sensations.

Together, Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals. But that wasn’t it. What’s most interesting is that the two continue to pursue their dreams on a tennis court at 41 and 40 years old, respectively.

Fans never want to see a day when Venus and Serena are no longer on the WTA Tour. Hopefully, they will keep playing and bringing joy to millions of fans around the world for as long as possible.

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