Richard Williams coached both Serena Williams and Venus Williams to legendary status in the sport of tennis, and that was always the plan.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams are some of the best players in history. In Serena's case, it’s almost a consensus that she’s the greatest female tennis player to have ever held a racket.
Crucial in the development of both Williams sisters was their father, Richard Williams, who served as the first coach for both of them. He himself didn’t have any previous experience in tennis, but he had a clear vision.
In a recent interview with The Sun, Williams shared his vision, which was for his daughters to get money out of tennis—and they did. They got a lot of money out of tennis, but if he was doing it all over again now, he would tell them to focus on business, which they have been doing on the side as well.
"I was proud of them before they were even born. I wanted them to get money out of tennis, but it's a totally different world today, I'd have them focus on businesses as they have now, they're extraordinary."
Serena was always a very ambitious person, both personally and as a parent. That ambition was clearly inherited by both Williams sisters, who aspired to be as good as they could be on the court but also beyond the court.
It played a crucial part in their success. His son Chavoita, who was also part of the interview, shared a bit of perspective on his father and how he thinks.
"I think what he means is, he sees life so differently. He realized in tennis there's a ceiling, and the ceiling is here [tournament wins]. But when you're in business, there is no ceiling, certain businesses. The sky's the limit."