“It was my dad… my mom and our family,” Serena Williams’ heartfelt words on Richard Williams, Venus Williams, and movie ‘King Richard’
Follow Us
serena williams with richard williams
23-times grand slam champion and widely regarded GOAT of women’s tennis Serena Williams recently spoke with CNN in an interview with Christiane Amanpour, where among many other topics, she spoke about her family’s story in the Oscar-nominated film “King Richard.”
King Richard is a biographical drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin that was released in 2021. It is based on the life of Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams, who also served as executive producers. Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal feature in the film.
Williams’ meteoric climb from a little girl learning to play tennis on crumbling courts in Compton, California, to one of the sport’s most accomplished and renowned athletes is iconic. Serena, still fighting to keep her kingdom from falling, is 40 now and is still playing. Venus Williams, Serena’s older sister, blazed the path by turning pro a year before her and winning seven grand slam singles titles in her career. At the age of 41, Venus is still competing on the circuit.
Christiane Amanpour posted a video, quoting Serena in the caption on her official Twitter page.
Their father, who is now glorified in the Hollywood film “King Richard,” which Williams and her sister Venus executive produced, was instrumental in the development of the duo as players. The film, starring Will Smith, depicts how Richard Williams propelled his daughters to tennis prominence.
Williams, who is often depicted as a controversial and eccentric figure, told CNN that the sisters wanted to rewrite the discourse surrounding their father. “It was important for us to tell the truth and the protection that my dad had around myself and my sister and our family together… it was my dad. It was my mom, it was our family,” she said.
“Unfortunately, entering a new sport where it’s predominantly, you know, White and having my dad have like this villain character, when it just wasn’t true, just having to deal with that my entire career, from day one to the very end, was just really important for us just to tell the truth,” she said.
“You know, in order to be an athlete, especially in a single sport, it takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of dedication. And I look at my daughter and I say, ‘Wow, I don’t think I could do what my dad did every single day.’ It’s a lot of work,” she went on to say.
Women power in Serena Williams’ life
Serena began her career in the shadow of Venus. She said that Venus was a lot better than her growing up. “My sister was much better than me. I was not very good growing up. And so, everyone was focused on Venus. And in the film, it goes into that, how when we had an opportunity to have better coaches, they saw that Venus was the one,” she revealed.
“And so, that was devastating for me … but helpful. Because if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have had the career that I have because I felt like I just had to prove and just had to win,” she credited that beginning.
Williams also talked about her mother, Oracene Price, who was instrumental in her success but was generally disregarded. “I just had to work with mom. I didn’t get to work with the prestigious coaches or anything. And my mom made me tough mentally,” Serena added.
Due to her passion for the sport, the American superstar will continue to be a face on the tour despite her age. At this year’s French Open, the superpower of women’s tennis will undoubtedly be on display.
Stay Updated!
Shilpi Pusadkar
(106 Articles Published)