"I would never tell my daughters to tank a match" - When Richard Williams denied rumours of pre-deciding all-Williams clashes

Saturday, 22 October 2022 at 20:00

Updated at Friday, 06 December 2024 at 01:34

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byJordan Reynolds

At the 1999 Miami Open, Venus Williams and Serena Williams faced off in their first final. There have been rumors that the outcome was predetermined, but their father strongly refuted that speculation.

Serena and Venus' rivalry was among the most legendary in the sport's history. They played 31 times and Serena ended the head-to-head with a 19-12 lead. Their rivalry on the WTA Tour spanned from 1998 until 2020.

The pair will never meet again professionally unless Serena reverses her decision to retire. She bid farewell to tennis at the US Open after losing in the third round of the year's final Grand Slam to Ajla Tomljanovic.

Serena and Venus also played doubles together for the final time at the US Open. The sisters won an incredible 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together despite not regularly entering doubles draws in the majors.

Before their meeting in the 1999 Miami Open final, Venus had won their previous WTA matches at the Australian Open and Italian Open. The Miami Open was the first of the 12 finals the two would contest.

Venus dominated the opening set, taking it 6-1, before Serena struck back in the second to force a decider. Ultimately, Venus triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to win the title. However, rumors have circulated since that their father, Richard Williams, pre-determined the outcome.

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Serena and Venus' father, who played a pivotal role in their development as young players, vehemently denied the rumors in 1999 and insisted he would never tell his daughters to tank a match.

"I would never tell my daughters to do that. As a matter of fact, I really think my daughters should get off that concrete as soon as possible. I wouldn't care who win. If they could have won it in ten minutes, that would have been great enough for me."

" I would have been sad for TV, but I would love to see my daughters off that concrete as soon as possible. I would never tell my daughters to tank a match. It's like telling a person to give up. We don't teach giving up. We teach our kids that, You didn't come here to start a match, you came to win the match"