via Getty
Serena Williams (R) of the USA celebrates with her father Richard Williams and sister Venus Williams after her Ladies’ Singles final match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
via Getty
Serena Williams (R) of the USA celebrates with her father Richard Williams and sister Venus Williams after her Ladies’ Singles final match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Venus Williams didn’t get an ideal start in her 2021 tennis season. She lost in the second round of the Australian Open 2021 and got knocked out from the first round of the Miami Open 2021. As she is already 40 at the moment, fans suspect that she can bid goodbye to the sport anytime soon.
Both Venus Williams and Serena Williams are inspirations to many young tennis players. However, it is their father, Richard Williams, who served as an inspiration to both of them when they were beginning their careers. In a recent podcast, the elder Williams sister revealed what all her dad and sister taught her on and off the court.
“My dad really insisted on a big game because I was not like Serena. I was the slicer and dicer one…Her nature was like completely different but it makes her a different personality right…She was a different player,” said Venus.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
via Getty
Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponent Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The American legend clearly tried to highlight that as the two sisters were different personalities, it was quite difficult for their dad to manage them individually. However, he didn’t give up on either of them and devised his own ways to handle the crisis.
“My dad, you know, kind of created this game of power and we only played offense. We could play defense. But, we played offense even when someone played defense,” added the 7-time Grand Slam champion.
“My parents never put pressure on us to win”- Venus Williams
Venus emphasized that her parents never put any sort of pressure on her to win titles or to play for them.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
via Getty
Venus Williams of the United States celebrates defeating Laura Siegemund of Germany during her third round Women’s Singles match on Day Six of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2016, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
“My parents never put pressure on us to win, like we need to win for them. So it was great… Really grounded because we have a very strong spiritual faith and background. So, that was the most important thing that our parents gave,” concluded the former World No.1.
Serena and Venus Williams are global icons today, and the credit surely goes to their parents for the same. To honor Richard Williams, HBO is even coming up with a movie based on him this year. Interestingly, Will Smith is playing the role of Richard in the film.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Fans are surely quite excited to see the journey of the two sisters in the movie. They also want Venus and Serena Williams to play more and more. Will Venus be able to win a title on tour before her retirement?
Also Read: “A Perfect Fit”: Venus Williams Collaborates With Big Medical Aesthetic Enterprise
