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

| by Balasz Virag

At the 1999 Lipton Championships, Venus and Serena Williams faced off in their first final match, and there were rumours that the outcome had been predetermined.

Even though Venus Williams and Serena Williams had crossed paths numerous times, their first encounter was in 1999. Venus prevailed in that match in three sets, although she had a very peculiar second set in which her performance suffered greatly.

Some speculated that she was instructed to do so by her father Richard Willimas but he was quick to shut that down:

"I would never tell my daughters to do that," said Williams in 1999 adding:

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Jessica Pegula in desbelief after becoming winningest player in WTA 1000 events in last two years

"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."

He double down on that once more: "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"

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